Coping with Superpowers
by Sadhelm2
Summary: As Adrien and Marinette are beginning to learn, having secret identities means more than just concealing their faces. As their powers and miraculous begin to affect their day-to-day lives will they still keep their secrets from the world and each other? Dealing with puberty is difficult enough without this mess! Eventual romance and bonding between the two dorks.
1. Chapter 1: Hunger

**A/N: I've been in a bit of an author's rut recently so I've decided to try writing about something new to really get those creative juices flowing again. I'm new to this fandom, so I might not have fully captured the character's likeness'.  
**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Hunger**

Everything seemed normal when Marinette first woke up that morning. Her alarm blared obnoxiously as the morning sunlight somehow managed to bounce its way around her curtains, through her room and into her eyes. She groaned, rolling over so she was facing the wall and desperately tried to hit the snooze button without lifting her head.

"Marinette!" a high-pitched voice cried somewhere above her head.

Marinette groaned in response, finally hitting the snooze and shutting up the alarm. She then promptly tried to bury herself deeper under her covers instead of getting up.

"You have to wake up!" the voice admonished. "You'll be late for school if you don't wake up."

"Oh no, what a shame," Marinette murmured, burying her head into her soft pillows.

"Last chance, Marinette," the voice continued.

"Errgh," Marinette replied eloquently, swiping half-heartedly at the noise.

"Alright then," the voice sang smugly, before silence enveloped the room.

Marinette smiled to herself, eyes still closed, as she snuggled deeper into her warm bed. She had approximately ten seconds to enjoy it before an entire glass of water was upended over her face.

"Argh!" Marinette screamed, eyes wide open and spluttering as she sat bolt upright in her now cold and soaked bed. "What the- "

"I told you," the voice sang, and Marinette started at the large red bug-thing holding an empty glass of water over her.

Her first instinct was to panic, but fortunately she was awake enough to recall her new friend.

"Tikki!" Marinette yelled accusingly, wiping at her wet face "What was that for!?"

Tikki blinked innocently.

"But you told me to make sure you woke up in time for school today," Tikki said, slowly setting the cup down beside the bed. "That's why you put the cup there last night, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Marinette grumbled, rubbing her face sleepily as she climbed down the ladder from her bed. "Now I remember."

She groaned.

"I'm still not used to having someone else in my room, Tikki," she said, stretching idly. "But at least I can count on you to make sure I'm not late."

It had been just over a week since she had received her Miraculous, met Tikki and debuted as Ladybug, and things couldn't have been better. There had been three other akumas sent out by Hawkmoth since then and all three, she and Chat Noir had been able to take care of easily. The most recent of which had been last night. The city of Paris was beginning to trust in their resident superheroes and as a result, the two had becomes household names.

At that moment, her stomach grumbled loudly.

 _Rumble_.

"You should hurry up!" Tikki's voice cut into her thoughts. "Your parents have already made breakfast and you've got a big day ahead of you."

Marinette hummed out an affirmative as she opened the trap door and went downstairs to have her morning shower. Tikki would wait for her in her purse. About fifteen minutes later she was dressed, clean and absolutely starving for her breakfast. Walking into the dining room, Marinette sat down at the kitchen counter where a surprisingly nice breakfast awaited her.

Her eyes sparkled as she eyed the plate of scrambled eggs, two freshly baked croissants and cereal laid out for her. Taking a moment to down her orange juice, Marinette devoured the food in front of her. As she was polishing off the last piece of scrambled egg from her plate, Marinette couldn't help but notice something odd.

 _Rumble._

She was still hungry. Ravenous in fact.

Marinette clutched at her stomach in confusion. It wasn't like she'd been eating oddly recently. She'd had a filling dinner at a reasonable hour.

'Oh well, not worth worrying about right now,' she thought as she stood up to get going. 'I'll just grab a couple of pastries from downstairs.'

Her parents were often very liberal with her taking day-old pastries from the bakery. After all they would otherwise throw them away the next day or donate them to some charity. Normally it wouldn't be more than a croissant or two to tide her over until lunch or to share with her best friend, Alya – the thought of having a best friend still made her feel a little giddy with happiness - but this time she felt like she could indulge herself a little more.

 _Rumble_.

Looking around to make sure her parents weren't watching, Marinette stuffed several pastries into her schoolbag as well as a couple of cookies for Tikki.

Marinette soon finished packing her snacks into her bag, said goodbye to her parents and made her way outside. It was a beautiful new day in the most gorgeous city in the world and hungry or not, she was going to make the most of it.

* * *

Adrien looked down mournfully at his empty plate. It hadn't been a particularly small breakfast, yet he had demolished it with a frightening speed all the same. His father had never truly enforced a typical model diet on him, a fact Adrien was eternally grateful for, but he was beginning to wonder whether the meal actually had been smaller today and he simply hadn't noticed.

 _Rumble._

He looked down again at his plate, then glanced subtly to the side to peer at Natalie who was standing behind him and to the right. She was typing something out on her tablet. Maybe if he was quick he could get away with licking the crumbs off his plate. He normally wouldn't consider it, but today he was just hungry enough for any punishment for bad manners to be worth it.

Cautiously, he grabbed the plate with both hands. He dared another glance at Natalie. Still typing away. The coast was clear.

He lifted the plate.

"Here is your schedule for the day, Adrien."

Damn it.

Regretfully, he put the plate down and took the offending piece of paper presented to him. With a defeated look, he perused the schedule presented to him.

"Your morning is free so you can attend classes," Natalie explained as if he couldn't read. "There is a short photoshoot scheduled from one o'clock that will last two hours of which your school has already been informed. You also have your fencing lesson at five and your Chinese instructor has asked me to remind you that he wants those three sheets of homework done for his lesson tomorrow morning."

Great. More work he needed to do. He also had to sneak some more cheese out for Plagg. It was honestly horrifying how something so small could eat so much. Speaking of eating…

 _Rumble_.

"Um, Natalie?" Adrien spoke up nervously. "Would it be possible for me to have something extra to eat for breakfast? I'm still quite hungry."

Natalie raised a perfectly threaded eyebrow.

"I'm sorry Adrien, but I cannot authorise you to eat any more than you've been given. Your father doesn't want you gaining any weight."

"I understand," Adrien sighed.

"Now get going, your chauffeur is waiting for you outside."

Adrien slumped his way out of the dining room, picked up his school bag and walked outside to his limo. The Gorilla - Adrien still didn't know his real name - courteously opened the door for him before driving him to school.

"Hey Plagg," Adrien whispered, discreetly opening his bag. "You in there?"

Inside his bag, his black kwami peered up at him with a look filled with annoyance.

"What? I was sleeping," Plagg said with a yawn. "We're not all freaks like you who get up early."

"I was just checking I hadn't left you behind," Adrien answered. "And I'd love to sleep in too, but Father wouldn't let me even if I didn't have school."

"Huh, sucks to be you," Plagg replied, before rolling over. "Now unless you're going to feed me, leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep."

Adrien shut the bag. It looked like he wasn't going to be able to distract himself from his gnawing hunger with conversation.

 _Rumble._

He winced.

"I wish someone would feed me," Adrien muttered, a hand on his stomach.

* * *

Marinette climbed the steps into the school just as she finished the third croissant she'd taken earlier. She was so busy debating to herself whether to have a fourth that she missed the figure waiting for her by the door.

"Mornin' girl!"

Marinette squealed.

"Alya! I didn't see you there!"

"Clearly," Alya replied, smiling like a shark at a buffet. "You'll never guess how popular the Ladyblog is getting! Although… you seem extra jumpy today. Done something you weren't supposed to?"

"W-what?! No!" Marinette shrank back as Alya advanced.

Would Alya think she was weird? What if she stopped being her friend because of it?

"Come on, you're a terrible liar and I'm a reporter."

Under Alya's even stare Marinette found her doubts give way to acceptance. Friends don't keep secrets from one another, right? (Except for one very important secret). If Alya finally thought Marinette was too weird to hang around with…

"O-ok," Marinette crumbled, gathering her courage and squatting down to open her backpack. "I was really hungry this morning so I may have taken a few more pastries from the bakery then I'm strictly allowed."

"That's it? I was hoping for something a little more… scandalous," Alya admitted, waggling her eyebrows down at her frowning friend.

"It's serious, Alya," Marinette said, taking another croissant from her bag and devouring it. "Maman and Papa will freak when they realise how much I took."

"Marinette, you're overreacting," Alya put her hand on her friend's shoulder and leaned forwards to look. "You can't have taken that many, holy-crap-that's-a lot!"

Her friend's backpack was jam-packed with all sorts of pastries to the point of overflowing. Alya squinted but was unable to see anything past the layers upon layers of bread. No schoolbooks, no sketchpads, no pencils, nothing besides even more bread.

Marinette looked anxiously between her friend and the bag.

"Is it bad? Tell me it's not that bad."

Alya gaped.

"'Not that bad'?" Alya repeated, eyes wide. "Have you got a small army you need feeding you haven't told me about? Jeez, can you even close the bag?"

Marinette looked at her bag with an intent, almost calculating gaze. Her eyes darted about before they lit up.

"If I eat three more pastries I can!" she replied brightly, quickly scarfing down another croissant.

Alya shook her head.

"I know you live in a bakery, but that much bread can't be good for you," she said sagely, folding her arms. "You should probably just throw it all away or even better, return it to the bakery."

Marinette looked up at Alya, her cheeks bulging with bread and crumbs around her mouth. She nudged the open bag towards her friend.

"I won't tell if you won't," Marinette bargained, mouth still full.

Alya evenly held her gaze.

 _Rumble._

"Deal," Alya said, bending down to help herself to the feast. "But we're gonna have a picnic with this stuff later."

Marinette nodded rapidly.

Neither of them noticed the limousine pull up just outside the school.

Adrien left his car and with a half-hearted wave to the driver, began to climb the school steps. Ordinarily he would just lurk about, try and avoid Chloe, and otherwise pass the time with his phone until Nino showed up. This time as he entered the school, a beautiful smell caught his attention. Turning around he saw Marinette and Alya eating pastries just by the doorway.

 _Rumble._

He winced. Why today of all days did they have to be eating such amazing-smelling food right by the door?

Adrien turned to walk away when he noticed the open bag beside them. The bag full of pastries. It was like all his senses became sharper. He could clearly see the contours and ridges of the pastries peeking out the top of the bag. He could smell the perfectly cooked golden-flakes that melt in your mouth, he heard the satisfying crunch of the shell give way to the softer tender dough beneath, he could practically taste the sweetness in the air as the two girls savoured their food.

 _Rumble._

This was torture.

I-it would be weird to just go up and ask for one, right? He wasn't sure. He had only been at this school for just over a week. He didn't know anyone that well besides Chloe and Nino. Marinette and Alya were practically strangers to him, it would be awkward if he just straight up asked for a pastry and he didn't want them to hate him. The only reason he was at this school was to make friends and so far, his friend count had only increased by one. He didn't need any enemies.

But on the other hand, he was really hungry.

Wracked by indecision, Adrien shifted from one foot to the other. He settled for sitting down on some nearby steps, sending occasional glances towards the two girls. There was still ten minutes until they had to be inside for class, he could last until then.

 _Rumble._

He got out his phone, opening some game app. Anything to distract him from his growling stomach. He tried to focus, but every breath in he took was like being struck in the face by the delicious aroma he was trying to ignore.

He bit down on his finger.

"Sup, dude?"

A hand clasped him hard on the back. Adrien started and immediately put down his phone.

"Hey, Nino!" Adrien smiled as his friend sat down beside him. "You're a little late today."

"And you're actually here!" Nino countered. "No photoshoots scheduled for this morning I see."

"Yeah, but I have one this afternoon," Adrien replied, his smile fading. "So, no lunch together today."

"Bummer, don't know how you survive without my incredible charm."

"Well it isn't easy," Adrien admitted, smirking at his friend. "But I think I'm finally adapting."

"Yeah, hey what's that smell?"

Nino looked over and soon caught sight of the girls.

"Woah! Marinette brought treats!" he said excitedly. "Come on dude, let's get some!"

Nino immediately stood up, walking over towards the girls. Adrien trailed meekly behind him.

"B-but wouldn't that be rude?" Adrien asked. "I mean I don't really know them."

"No sweat, Marinette and I go way back," Nino answered smoothly. "We've known each other since kindergarten! Besides, she's like the nicest person in the world; there's no way she won't give us one."

Adrien recalled the fury with which the girl had yelled at him and grimaced.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

Yet Nino approached the two fearlessly.

"Hey girls, couldn't help but notice that delightful smell," he said, smiling at the two. "Might two hungry paupers such as ourselves partake in this bounty?"

Alya smirked.

"I hardly think you and Agreste count as paupers. But it's not up to me, these pastries are from Marinette's parent's bakery," she declared looking over at her friend. "Isn't that right, Mari-Marinette?"

Marinette's eyes were wide with panic as they stared directly at Adrien.

"Would it be alright for us to have some?" Adrien addressed Marinette, feeling a little awkward "I can pay if that's the problem…"

"W-WHAT?!" Marinette shrieked, face red. "No-no-no! Totally have as many pastries as you want, they're on me! Well not literally on me, I mean you wouldn't eat them if they were on me, I-I-I mean-you're-on-me, I-mean-you're-great, I-mean, take-me, I-MEAN-TAKE-THEM!"

Marinette thrusted the bag towards the two startled boys.

"Err, thanks Marinette," Nino smiled, taking a couple.

Adrien then stepped forward, ignoring the little squeak Marinette made as he did so. Feeling incredibly bad, but not sure exactly why, Adrien grabbed a few pastries.

"Thanks, Marinette. You're the best," he said, before he and Nino walked away with a smile and a wave.

Face redder than Ladybug's suit, Marinette shyly waved back.

Alya looked between Adrien and Marinette, and then back again.

"Girl, you can stop waving now," she said with a smirk. "Adrien's gone. Hello? Earth to Marinette?"

Marinette sighed dreamily.

"He called me 'the best'."

Alya blinked.

"Wow, you have got it bad for Mr Model," she smiled, manually turning Marinette's head to look at her. "You can stop waving now."

Meekly, Marinette brought down her hand and tried to ignore the pointed look Alya was shooting her.

"So," Alya pushed, stretching the word out sinisterly. "How long have you been crushing on Adrien, then?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"HA!" Alya laughed. "You're really trying to deny it after that? You're head-over-heels for him!"

Marinette slumped down.

"I know," she muttered.

"What brought this on? Oh, was it the umbrella thing last week? Please tell me it was!" Alya jumped up and down excitedly.

"Y-yeah, that's where it began," Marinette admitted. "And it sucks!"

"Sucks?"

"Yeah, I just can't get rid of it! And every time I try and think that he's not that great, he does something nice and wonderful and my heart just explodes! And-and I can't stop thinking about him or things that remind me of him and just- it's like nothing else matters and it won't go away!"

Marinette punctuated her rant with a frustrated stamp of her foot that Alya privately thought was utterly adorable.

"Wait, is this your first crush?" Alya whispered excitedly, the biggest grin Marinette had ever seen on her face.

"Um, yeah," she shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I mean I've never felt like this before and it won't stop."

Alya meanwhile looked as if someone had just given her a basket of puppies.

"Oh, my dear sweet innocent Marinette, you don't just get rid of crushes," Alya explained, putting an arm around Marinette.

"Then how do you deal with them?" Marinette asked.

"You confront them!"

"What?! No that's a bad, bad idea!"

"Go ask him out."

"WHAT?! I-I can't do that!"

The ringing of the bell interrupted their conversation.

"We'll talk later," Alya promised. "Try not to stare during class, you'll scare poor sunshine-boy off!"

"Alya!"

Marinette made to run after her friend.

 _Rumble._

She clutched at her stomach.

Still?!

What was wrong with her today?

Marinette quickly grabbed another couple of pastries and began to eat as quickly as she could. She didn't want Miss Bustier to confiscate them or worse, be forced to give them away again. Nino may have been an old childhood friend, but she was _really_ hungry.

Adrien had been an exception.

Marinette ran up the stairs, briefly licking the crumbs off her fingers and ready to begin another hopefully ordinary day at school.

* * *

"Excellent, Adrien," the director cooed like the model was a well-behaved pet, as the photographer continued taking picture after picture. "Turn a little more this way, yes-that's-perfect! Let us see your beautiful legs in those. Yes, yes, excellent!"

Adrien continued to pose with a smile on his face and did his best to ignore the cold. It was September, why was he modelling shorts? Oh right, it was sunny out today so it's not like anyone else would know this was done in the early autumn. He really didn't understand his Father's thought process and he definitely wasn't going to ask.

 _Rumble._

Adrien bit back a wince. Years of practice of standing still like a doll was the only thing that allowed him to prevent his discomfort from showing on his face. Even after having a hefty lunch with Nino earlier hadn't really dulled it. It was a good thing he'd gotten a few pastries from Marinette this morning, even if she had seemed reluctant, or he'd be feeling even worse.

 _Rumble._

Throughout all of morning classes he'd barely been able to focus. He'd literally started counting the minutes until the end when he could go to his photoshoot and maybe get something to eat. Unfortunately, this photoshoot was a small affair, so there was no catering available. There was nothing he could do but grit his teeth and bear the discomfort for the moment.

"Ok, that's a wrap, good work Adrien, as always!"

Salvation was at hand. Adrien could see Natalie at the back of the makeshift studio with his official lunch. What his Father didn't know about him getting lunch with Nino wouldn't hurt him.

He zeroed in on her, barely even stopping to give the director a courteous nod. Within seconds he was in front of her as she handed him his lunch. Natalie took out her tablet and began to speak as he opened his lunch container.

Adrien couldn't stop his face from falling. Inside was the tiniest, most pathetic kale salad that had ever existed on the planet. He was pretty sure even caterpillars wouldn't have considered it a filling lunch. Maybe his father really had ordered him to be put on a diet?

Of course, that didn't stop him from devouring it.

"Now, your Father has told me to inform you that an extra photoshoot has been called up for this evening. You're-," Natalie sighed, pushing her up her glasses. "Adrien, please mind your manners and eat properly, we are in a public place."

Adrien, with what was left of the salad dangling from his mouth, looked sheepish. He quickly sucked it up, ignoring Natalie's wince of disgust, and smiled meekly.

"Sorry Natalie," he apologised, before gathering his courage. "W-was that everything?"

To his surprise, Natalie's expression softened minutely.

"Are you feeling alright, Adrien? You look a little pale."

"I-I'm just hungry," Adrien admitted, a little sheepish. "I feel completely fine otherwise, but I've been really hungry all day today."

Natalie's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his person. Adrien had to force his back to not straighten under her gaze and ignore the impulse to hide his ring behind his back.

"You don't seem completely fine. I'm scheduling a visit to your health specialist tomorrow morning," Natalie decided, typing at her tablet. "Whatever this problem is, we'll have it looked at immediately."

Adrien smiled.

"Thank you, Natalie," he said, grateful.

"I'll notify your father," she continued, not looking up from her tablet. "Your first photoshoot tomorrow was at eleven, so I'll schedule it for before then."

So instead of school then. Great. It seemed he was going to get even less opportunities to make more friends.

'This is for my health,' Adrien reasoned as Natalie briskly walked away. 'I can afford to miss it this one time. Nino would understand.'

This hunger didn't seem completely natural to him. If it wasn't for a complete lack of anyone else who seemed to be affected, he would have suspected an akuma. If it was just something as mundane as an odd illness though, then he could live with that.

Although with no akuma, he wouldn't see Ladybug.

Adrien was completely unaware of the dopey smile that crossed his face as he picked up his bag to head back to school.

The way the moonlight had reflected off her mesmerising eyes last night as they took out that akuma. That little smirk that sent shivers down his spine when she'd figured out the exact way to bring about the akuma's inevitable defeat. That kind, triumphant smile she shared with him -and only him- when they celebrated a job well done.

'Pound it.'

Fists bumping and that tiny little thrill through his spine at the fact that they were touching, before she pulled away and things returned to dull normality.

Adrien wasn't naïve or in denial about his feelings towards his partner. He had a massive filthy crush on his partner. Every little thing she said or did enraptured him and he'd spend hours later pouring over the tiniest detail he'd learnt about the person who was behind her mask.

Was this normal behaviour? Was he being creepy feeling like this? Adrien honestly had no idea. It wasn't like he could ask his father, and he certainly wasn't going to ask Natalie.

Nino, his only friend at school, would ask him who the girl was and Adrien would have no answer to that. That pretty much only left Plagg, and Adrien really didn't want to have that sort of talk with the gluttonous kwami.

 _Rumble._

Adrien bit back a groan as he slid into the backseat of the limousine.

"What's the matter?"

He blinked and looked down to see Plagg's curious face staring at him.

"Something's bothering you," Plagg stated confidently, rising to look him in the eye. "You know you should tell me if you're worried about something."

"I-I should?" he blinked in astonishment, as if the thought had never even occurred.

"What do you think I'm here for, genius?"

"Well, to give me superpowers?" Adrien admitted, giving a sheepish smile.

Plagg groaned.

"Look, I do have other uses than just 'giving you superpowers'," Plagg grumbled. "It could have just been the ring and an instruction pamphlet, but no – I'm here as well."

"And I thank God, every day," Adrien muttered.

"And the reason," Plagg continued like he had said nothing. "Is because in addition to 'giving you superpowers' is so that you have someone to talk to."

"Someone to talk to?"

"You humans are pretty delicate, so obviously having someone as amazing as me around to talk to can make you feel better."

 _Rumble._

Adrien winced, clutching at his stomach. It seemed to be getting worse.

"Yeah well, I don't think talking is going to solve this problem."

"Why not?"

"I'm just… ill," Adrien said. "I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow."

Plagg gave him a critical look-over.

"You're not ill," he said, and it was with such a matter-of-factness Adrien almost believed him. "Believe me, magical being here. I would know if my Chosen was ill."

"You actually can tell when I'm ill?"

"Yep!" Plagg puffed his tiny chest out proudly. "And I can help you fight off all but the worst kinds. Chat Noir can't afford to get sick."

"Woah, that's so cool," Adrien said sincerely. "That must be true for Ladybug as well. Wait, all 'but the worst'? Have I got something terminal?"

Panic gripped at his heart for a moment before Plagg chuckled.

"If you were dying, I'd know for certain," Plagg declared.

"Then what's wrong with me?" Adrien asked. "Why am I so hungry all the time?"

"Huh? Oh, that's starting already is it? I guess Hawkmoth has been running you guys ragged."

"Wait, you know what this is?!" Adrien almost yelled, quickly looking out to his driver to check he hadn't noticed. "You know why this is happening?"

"Of course, it's perfectly normal," Plagg said, before holding out his stubby paws expectantly. "However, I'll tell you more for some camembert."

Adrien groaned, rooting around in his bag for the small supply he always kept with him, (tightly wrapped of course). But his hands only came up with empty packaging.

"What?!" Plagg yelled, flying into the bag. "Where is it? Where's the rest? I know I didn't eat all of it!"

Adrien froze.

Plagg suddenly stopped his frantic searching and looked up at Adrien, who suddenly found the scenery out the window very interesting.

"Adrien."

He ignored the tiny god.

"Adrien."

He looked only to see two tiny green dots, inches from his own eyes.

"I-didn't-do-it!"

He immediately snapped his mouth shut. Sometimes he wished he was a better liar. Plagg just stared at him, green eyes blazing.

"Adrien," Plagg spoke in a tone much softer than he expected. "You hate camembert."

"I know."

 _Rumble._

Plagg sighed, floating down to land on Adrien's knee. He looked up at the boy, his tail swinging lazily behind him.

"You'll be fine, Adrien," he spoke. "It's just your body adapting to the Miraculous, there is nothing wrong with you."

"I'm adapting?"

What did that mean? Before Adrien could question Plagg any further, the car pulled up to the school and his chauffeur stood up to open his door.

"I'll explain when you get home," Plagg continued. "But I promise you, Adrien. You aren't ill and you will be fine."

Adrien smiled.

"Thank you, Plagg. That really means a lot."

"Well don't get used to it. You'd better feed me when we get back."

* * *

Marinette bit her bottom lip anxiously as she waited for her parents to finish dinner. Her own plate had been polished clean nearly eight minutes and forty seconds ago, not that she was counting. Marinette had had proper table manners drilled into her by her parents for as long as she could remember, but she was seriously considering breaking a majority of them right now and leaving just so she wouldn't have to listen anymore.

Every chew and swallow and gasp of delight attracted her attention like water to a dying man in a desert. Her eyes darted left and right, focusing on each morsel of food that went down her parents' mouths. She nervously wrung her fingers together under the table, trying to find something to occupy her trembling hands with.

What was wrong with her?

This was not normal. People don't just become this hungry out of nowhere!

Marinette did her best to ignore that angry, bitter feeling that welled within her at the sight of the amount of food that still lurked on her papa's plate. Her papa was a large man. A large man with a busy work schedule and a job that could be very physically demanding at times. She had never questioned him getting the lion's share of the family meals that they shared before – she'd never needed to, she'd been more than satisfied with what she had. But now though…

Her eyes remained irrevocably glued to each morsel before it vanished into his jaws.

 _Rumble_.

"Maman?" she spoke up nervously. "May I please have some more?"

"No, Marinette," her mother responded sternly. "You're not having any more dinner."

Marinette bit her bottom lip to stop herself from arguing. Knowing her parents, it wouldn't work.

"Marinette," she immediately recognised her father's gentle scolding tone. "You've already had plenty to eat today. You took all the day-old pastries, remember?"

"Y-yes, papa," she replied, unable to deny it. "But it wasn't like I ate them by myself."

"True, but you should have asked us first," her mother chastised. "We normally give them to Mlle Cassin, and you know she needs them more than you do."

Guilt sank its claws into Marinette's chest. Mrs Cassin worked for a local charity who supplied homeless people with food. They usually contributed quite a bit of food every week day. Almost all of which she had taken, and devoured, this morning.

"S-sorry, Maman," Marinette said sincerely, trying to ignore the delicious smells wafting from her parent's plates.

It was like siren song. Dividing her focus and keeping her eyes glued to their plates.

"I-I wasn't thinking."

"That's quite alright," she replied. "But I think having you go to bed a little bit hungry tonight will make sure the lesson sticks."

"It was a very thoughtless thing you did," her father agreed. "Mlle Cassin was very upset. You will go apologise to her personally tomorrow, after school"

"Yes, papa."

A few minutes later and dinner was finished. Marinette could do nothing but salivate, eyes hopelessly locked on to the leftovers as her mother put the still half-full pot in the fridge. Sabine caught her daughter's desperate gaze and frowned.

"Go do your homework, Marinette."

Her tone broke no argument.

 _Rumble._

Feeling dejected, Marinette trudged up to her room and shut the trap door behind her. Maybe doing her homework would take her mind off things.

She sat down and pulled out her books on the Reformation. She needed to get started on this essay.

"Marinette?" Tikki's soft voice called.

Marinette looked up to see the Kwami sitting on top of her computer screen, blue eyes watching her with concern.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Tikki," Marinette mumbled, trying to focus on reading her textbook. "Just hungry."

Tikki flew down leisurely to land on Marinette's shoulder.

"Are you upset about your punishment?" Tikki nuzzled the side of her chosen's head.

Marinette closed her eyes and leaned in, relaxing at the gentle sensation. It was a quiet moment. A brief but needed sanctuary against the constant whirlwind this day had been.

"A little," she admitted, a wistful smile on her face. "But I was in the wrong; I should have asked first."

"I'm very proud of you for admitting that, Marinette," Tikki said cheerfully. "You have a big heart."

"But an even bigger stomach apparently," Marinette muttered tiredly, drained from the day. "I'd never felt that hungry before, Tikki. I didn't even think, I just had to eat something. My stomach was hurting so much and I needed it. I'd- Tikki?"

Tikki had stopped nuzzling. Marinette opened her eyes to look down at the suddenly silent Kwami.

"Tikki?"

"Oh no."

Marinette started as Tikki flew straight in front of her face.

"W-what's wrong?"

"Marinette, this is not your fault," Tikki said firmly. "It's purely on me. I didn't realise it had started this early."

Marinette's head whirled. She hadn't seen Tikki this animated since she first trapped her in that glass.

"What has started this early?!"

 _Rumble._

She clutched at her stomach with a pained gasp. That one hurt really bad. Marinette focused on her breathing. In, out. In, out. In, out. The pain slowly faded to the throbbing ache that she'd had all day.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. This is my fault."

Marinette didn't have the will or the energy to be angry. She just felt tired and fed up with the whole situation.

"Just-just please tell me what's happening," Marinette pleaded, sinking into her chair and clutching at her stomach.

"It's a side-effect of the Miraculous," Tikki explained, landing on the desk in front of her. "All the extra superhuman activity and abilities, the Lucky Charms and Miraculous Ladybugs, they all take energy. Energy that your body doesn't currently have, but needs."

Marinette blinked, drinking this in.

"So, I'm hungry because my body is trying to replenish the energy I use as Ladybug?"

"Yes," Tikki admitted. "The Miraculous gives you the powers, but your body needs to be able to use them. And to use them it needs energy. You've been transforming every other day and using Miraculous Ladybug to restore the damage each time."

That made sense. Since Stoneheart, Hawkmoth had been relentless. Would that mean he was suffering from this weird hunger thing too?"

"All that takes a large amount of energy. An amount you're not getting anywhere near enough with your current diet. The Miraculous can supply most of it, but your body is still going to need to give its fair share."

"So… how much is enough?" Marinette asked warily. "No matter how much I ate today, it was never enough. It still hurt…"

"With the current rate at which you're having to transform," Tikki mentally did the comparisons in her head. "You may have to eat up to six times as much as normal, maybe even more."

"S-six times?" Marinette gasped, sitting up. "That's way too much! How am I going to manage that?! There's no way I could sneak that past my parents! That's-that's like two whole family's worth of food! How would we even afford that?!"

"I don't know," Tikki answered. "But it won't be forever. Once your body has changed and adapted fully to the Miraculous then you'll only need to eat half of that at most."

"Oh, so only one family's worth of food, great. So much better!"

Marinette grabbed at her pigtails as she tried not to panic.

"It takes time," Tikki admitted. "Your body needs to adjust to the Miraculous. Once you've finished adjusting it shouldn't be so bad. Until then you'll need to fuel both your activity as Ladybug and the changes your body will go through."

Marinette gaped in horror.

"Ch-changes? Like in 'The Fly'?!"

Images flowed out of Marinette's head like a leaky faucet, each more bizarre than the last. Her head welded onto the torso of a giant ladybug. Antennae growing out of her head and people pointing and screaming. Adrien sitting down next to her only to look up and see a giant drooling ladybug head on her body and he could never love a freakish mutant ladybug girl and would go and marry Chloe instead and Marinette would be carted away by the government and never see anyone again-

"Err… Marinette?" Tikki asked carefully, looking at her chosen whose face was frozen in exaggerated horror at images only she could see.

"NO!" Marinette suddenly screamed, holding her head in her hands. "I don't want to become a giant mutant ladybug and terrorise the city at Chloe and Adrien's wedding! Tikki, there's a way to stop this right?!"

The ancient god blinked, that was a new reaction. Privately, she marvelled to herself how each human she chose managed to be so utterly unique and distinct from one another.

"You're not going to become an actual ladybug, giant or otherwise," Tikki lectured calmly, though also trying not to giggle. "Your superhuman abilities as Ladybug will bleed through into your normal state. The changes will mostly involve reactions, strength, stamina and agility – those sorts of things."

"Oh, ok then," she panted, calming down and letting go of her pigtails. "I can handle that."

In her panic, they'd become uneven so Marinette simply removed her hair ribbons and shook her hair out. She looked down at the red ribbons in her hand.

"Until your body adapts, you'll start to starve at an accelerated rate," Tikki continued. "So, it's important that you begin eating properly as soon as possible."

Marinette took a few moments to calm down. This wasn't too much of an obstacle. She was a goddamn superhero! She was Ladybug. This was just like any other situation that she'd encountered. A problem that could be broken down, attacked and defeated.

Marinette moved her books to the side and got out some paper and a calculator. She turned on her computer and began to type.

"What are you doing?" Tikki asked, flying up to the monitor and peering at what she'd typed. "Energy needed for active teenage girls?"

"I guess you could call it calorie counting," Marinette smirked. "Although I never thought I'd do it quite like this. I have my allowance, money from my past commissions, whatever food papa and maman will cook and finally some leftovers from the bakery. If I analyse everything, just like when I'm Ladybug, I'll figure out a way to feed myself without arousing anyone's suspicions! Hmm, maybe I can earn some extra money somehow, like babysitting…"

"Spoken like a true Ladybug," Tikki smiled to herself as Marinette began her work.

If there had been any doubt that she didn't deserve the Miraculous it would have been vanquished at this scene. Even if Marinette should fail, Master Fu would be more than happy to provide however much food she needed. She would rather not bring Marinette to him unless it was absolutely necessary, but if the alternative was her chosen starving, then the Great Guardian wouldn't mind.

A thought suddenly struck Marinette as she was writing.

"Is this happening to Chat Noir as well then?" Marinette questioned Tikki, who nodded.

"Yes. Although it won't be as bad for him since he doesn't have to restore everything afterwards," she stated. "Even if he transformed and used his abilities every night, but that seems unlikely."

"Yeah," Marinette smiled fondly as she got back to work. "I'll check in on him next time we see each other. But I doubt Chaton would be that eager to see me."

* * *

"I can't go out and look for Ladybug anymore?!" Adrien cried, clutching at his head in despair and spinning on his desk chair. "But what if she's out there and there's an akuma and I don't know about it because I'm sleeping!?"

"Look," Plagg growled, rubbing the bridge between his eyes with a paw. "The more you use your powers, the hungrier you'll get. Until you start eating enough you shouldn't transform just because you might see Ladybug - which I'll point out you haven't yet."

"But it would be so romantic," Adrien gushed, turning towards his computer screens where the Ladyblog was opened. "Just me and her in the moonlight, running across Paris, alone together."

"Oh boy," Plagg gagged. "Look, Hawkmoth wants the Miraculous. If the akuma doesn't draw you out what would even be the point of making one? Ladybug seems sensible, so she's probably at home."

"I guess you're right," Adrien admitted, sinking back into his chair. "So, it's all from the Miraculous then? Well at least I'm not dying, all I've got to do is eat more without avoiding suspicion."

It could be easily fixed. Adrien had plenty of money in his private account. He could horde months of food in his room. Anything else he could just raid from the manor's kitchen or order online. As long as it didn't affect his figure, which Plagg assured him it wouldn't, Natalie wouldn't rat him out to his father.

"Wait," Adrien suddenly realised. "What am I going to tell the doctor?"

"Eh, just ignore whatever he says," Plagg said, unconcerned. "My magic is better for your body then anything those idiots have thought up."

"That's a little harsh, Plagg. They're not idiots."

Plagg snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't blame me when he drills a hole in your head."

"Why would a doctor do that?" Adrien asked, mystified.

"That's what I said; they're all nuts! My advice would be to not let him mutilate you, just pretend to take any pills he gives you and please, please just throw away the leeches - they're disgusting."

Leeches?

Suddenly a thought occurred to Adrien. It wasn't one that had ever occurred to him until this very moment. He looked down at his ring. It was bright silver, with no hint towards it's true purpose. It looked brand new, or as brand new as a ring could look.

"Plagg," he asked hesitantly. "How old are you exactly?"

"Older than you, that's for sure."

"No, but seriously."

"Older than this country – all countries in fact."

Adrien gaped.

"You're _that_ old?!"

"Way, way older," Plagg grinned. "So, listen to your elders, kid. Doctors are smug idiots who have no clue what they're doing. Just ignore whatever they say."

How the hell was he supposed to tell Plagg about how far medicine had come in the last hundred years or so? About all the medical advances, what was currently possible and may become possible in the not-to-distant future.

 _Rumble._

Adrien winced as he clutched his stomach. A conversation for another time. It's not like the doctor would be able to magically tell he was losing energy much faster than he should, right?

Yeah, Adrien decided as he left his room to raid the kitchen, he was worrying about nothing. At least now that he knew what was wrong he shouldn't starve.

* * *

Unfortunately, Tikki had shot down her idea of eating nothing but junk food. It was startling how easy it would be to reach her target energy with just that. However, her diet had to still be somewhat balanced.

A few hours in, she had begun to think she was going to have to reveal herself to her parents to even have a chance. However, after looking at supermarket deals and the specific energy and nutrition contents of plenty of common foods, a plan began to form in her mind.

Not long after, she finally put down her pen.

It was possible.

Marinette looked on at her calculations and research with something akin to pride and horror. From what little she had at her disposal, it was possible to get the required amount of energy and nutrition she would need. She was going to have to buy her own food using the cheapest deals from the cheapest supermarkets, supplement any lacking energy with junk food, sneak behind her parents back and eat lunch at home every day so she could sneak in extra without anyone being suspicious as well as a huge amount of extra planning, but it was possible.

"I am going to be so sick of potatoes," Marinette muttered, shuffling her papers. "But sick is better than dead. If I cook them in the evenings then maman and papa won't find out and I'll have lunch for the next day ready."

Cold baked potatoes with various cold fillings for her secret extra lunch every day sounded like a prison sentence, but it would only be for so long. Once her body fully adapted, then she could stop. Tomorrow, after school she would go shopping and quickly become Ladybug to avoid her parents and hide the extra food in her room.

Marinette groaned and rubbed at her exhausted eyes. Darkness had fallen over Paris hours ago and a part of her dreaded looking at the time to see how little sleep she was getting tonight. Tikki had retired not long ago to the side of her bed, leaving Marinette sitting alone at her desk.

"Now to start on my actual homework," she murmured. "Not like I needed sleep anyway."

 _Rumble._

She doubled over and the chair slid out from under her. Marinette curled up on the floor as the hunger pains ravaged her body. After a few agonizing minutes, they subsided and Marinette stretched out tiredly on the floor. Dimly, she realised that there was little chance of her getting any sleep tonight.

 _Rumble._

There had to be something she could eat. Surely, her parents wouldn't mind if she ate the rest of dinner?

'They will,' Marinette thought to herself. 'That's papa's breakfast tomorrow.'

She could just eat a little. It's not like he would notice. Her papa worked with bread all day, he must sneak in a few snacks every now and then. A slightly smaller breakfast wouldn't hurt him.

She had already opened the trapdoor before she got a hold of herself.

'Maman and Papa are already disappointed in me. I don't want to make it worse,' Marinette realised, shutting the door with conviction.

The only thing that hurt worse than these hunger pains was when others were disappointed in her.

Marinette sat back down at her desk, opened her textbooks and did her best to ignore the biting hunger.

"It's only until tomorrow," she muttered to herself. "Only until tomorrow. I can last until then."

* * *

It was the next day and Adrien could barely hold in the urge the jump and cheer. The doctor had given him an examination and concluded that he needed to eat more. Natalie had run it through with his father and he was now going to be getting much larger meals! As long as it didn't affect his figure, he had been given the responsibility to eat as much as he wanted! Of course, at the slightest hint of him losing his figure, his father would have him eating kale salads for the rest of his life, but even so!

Adrien could have danced for joy, he felt so full. The photoshoot went extremely well; his good mood having become infectious to the rest of the crew. Smiles came as easy as breathing; his body assumed just the right expressive poses to best convey the designer's specific intent without thought. Everything went like a dream and before he knew it, school was finishing and he was about to head back home.

Then the absolute next best thing could have happened.

"AKUMA!"

Screams and panic as people ran indoors or as far away from the threat as possible. Even after a week of these attacks, no one was quite used to it yet. Akuma abilities ranged from terrifying to downright bizarre, yet Chat Noir and Ladybug had stopped every single one successfully.

Barely able to contain his glee at the thought of seeing his lady, Adrien followed the crowd and ducked into a nearby alley. Quickly checking there was no one about, he called Plagg.

"Claws Out!"

The rush of energy that filled his body seemed even greater than normal. He felt the costume form around him, his body gain supernatural strength and agility and his senses become sharper. In less than a second Chat Noir was where Adrien Agreste had previously stood.

With a grin and a little wiggle, he leapt three stories into the air and began pole vaulting towards the source of trouble. Only getting to see Ladybug every other day was beginning to make him even more keen to see her. Maybe he could convince her to hang out together or something? Maybe even catch a movie or a walk in a park or play video games or…

'Focus, Adrien!' he shook himself. 'Akuma first!'

He cleared the last building and caught sight of the akuma just in time to see a red blur slam into it. Chat Noir grinned, vaulting down to land next to Ladybug.

"Good afternoon, my lady," he swaggered, sending her his most alluring smirk. "Fancy seeing you here so close to the Pont des Arts. Perhaps we should make a love lock of our own?"

"You know that's not allowed anymore, Chaton," Ladybug admonished, sounding tired. "Although today's akuma doesn't seem happy about it."

Chat Noir blinked. Something seemed off about his partner today. Before he could say anything the akuma had recovered from the attack and stood up. It certainly had a padlock motif to it.

Black superhero spandex with a large padlock symbol in purple on his chest. Padlocks lined his suit, interlocking with one another across his shoulders as well as around his wrists and shins. He also wore a padlock-shaped helmet that covered his eyes; Chat could only see the whites of his eyes. On his back was a huge, sleek-looking black padlock.

Evidently someone had protested a little too passionately to the removal of the padlocks from the bridge.

"Our love is eternal!" the akuma cried. "I, Lock-Heart, will never be separated from my love again!"

"The akuma is in the padlock tied around his right wrist," Ladybug muttered, pointing.

She seemed exhausted. Chat filed that information away to ask her about later. If something was affecting her work, then that was excuse enough to ask her about it, right? He might even learn more about her!

Chat Noir followed her hand to see the padlock attached to several others around his wrist. Unlike the other padlocks that adorned his body, this one was old and his keen eyesight could pick out initials on it.

He smirked.

"Got it!"

Chat Noir leapt forwards towards the akuma, spinning his baton over his head and slamming it down. Lock-Heart immediately jumped to the side and unhooked the large padlock off his back and held it like a club.

Chat jumped, the padlock-club crushing the concreate where he'd been standing. He landed behind the villain and twirled, bringing his baton to bare as the akuma swivelled round to face him.

Their two weapons slammed together and Chat found himself sliding back.

"You can't defeat the power of love!" Lock-Heart cried out, pushing even harder.

"Hey, that's my line," Chat smirked as his partner in red took aim behind the akuma.

Ladybug's yoyo wrapped around Lock-Heart's right wrist and with a tug, pulled him off-balance. He staggered, eyes widening, guard opening as Chat wound up his shot.

"Batter up!" Chat yelled, swinging his baton into the trapped wrist. "Looks like you're all out of _lock_!"

The akuma screamed as the padlock chain was shattered and clattered to the ground. Chat grimaced, the padlock containing the akuma hadn't broken! He reached out for it, only for a kick from the villain to send him flying. He slammed into a nearby car hard enough to go right through the door.

"Chat!"

Snarling, Ladybug immediately pulled harder on her yoyo, pulling Lock-Heart away from where the akumatized item lay.

Grunting, Lock-Heart pulled back, but was unable to overpower her. It was stalemate for a few seconds before the akuma grinned. His weapon still in his right hand, he pointed it at Ladybug. The keyhole glowed blue briefly, before a blue light shot out and knocked her off her feet.

Lock-Heart laughed as the yoyo unwound itself and he dived for the item again. He snatched it up and held it in his hand with reverence.

"Our love is eternal, no-one can take it away, not even those superheroes," he declared, before a butterfly insignia appeared over his face.

 _Grab their Miraculous, and your lover will remain with you forever!_

"Yes, Hawkmoth," he whispered, stalking over towards where Ladybug lay, groaning.

The blue bolt had hit her left leg and put it into some kind of stasis. She couldn't move it at all. Not that her other limbs were much better. Ladybug tried to get up, but her arms were trembling too much. The burst of energy that came with her transformation had faded, leaving a tired and starving girl.

 _Rumble._

'No, not now!' she screamed in her head as the villain stood above her.

He raised his weapon over his head.

"Bye-bye, Ladybug!"

"Cataclysm!"

Standing near the car, with his hand touching the ground and a snarl on his face, was Chat Noir.

The concrete between them and underneath Lock-Heart immediately became black and broke away. The akuma screamed in shock as he fell, barely able to snag a solid part of the ground whilst the rest crumbled away into nothing. Seeing her chance Ladybug simply reached out and snatched the padlock chain from his hand.

"Thank you," she quipped smugly, although silently relieved, before snapping the lock in two.

The butterfly appeared and only a few seconds later it had been purified. Ladybug only had an instant to grin before she saw the man who had been Lock-Heart, become enveloped in dark energy and return to normal.

And lose his grip.

Ladybug shot forwards into the hole, yoyo already let loose as her other hand grabbed onto the edge of the stable ground. The yoyo wrapped around the man's waist and he grunted with pain as he came to a sudden stop.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir yelled, his concerned face appearing over the edge.

"I've got him!" Ladybug replied back, as the yoyo wheeled in the confused civilian. "That was too close."

'I should have realised he would fall in that position,' she thought angrily, as she held the civilian in her arms and hoisted him up. 'Damn, I really need to eat something; I can't even concentrate.'

"What's wrong?"

Ladybug blinked to see Chat Noir, a hand offered to her, looking at her with concern.

"Nothing, Chaton," she smiled, accepting the hand as he pulled her up. "I'm just not at my best right now; thanks for the save, that was close."

The two took a moment to survey the damages. There was a deep hole in the road that stretched from where Chat Noir had initially fallen to where Lock-Heart had been standing. It was deep, Ladybug could see that the concrete and everything in-between had completely rotted away to the sewers below.

"I didn't use Lucky Charm," Ladybug muttered. "I can't fix this."

"Hey, at least no one was hurt," Chat Noir said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "So just a little roadworks and some guy's car; it could have been much worse."

"You're right."

"More importantly, my lady," Chat Noir began, turning to face her. "Are you feeling alright? You seem pale and-"

"I know!" she said, feeling frustrated at how useless she was. "I just need to eat something."

"Eat something? Oh yeah, my kwami said it would be worse for you. If you need me to get you anything…"

 _Beep-Beep!_

"Doesn't sound like you can today, Chaton," Ladybug replied, pointing to his ring. "I was just about to go grocery shopping as well. Don't worry, next time you see me, I'll be as fit as a fiddle!"

"If you're sure."

Ladybug sent her yoyo flying and swung away. Chat Noir watched with worry, contemplating following her, before the pain in his side made him reconsider. That akuma had one hell of a kick. The car he hit was totalled.

Ladybug had been out of it. They were lucky it was an easy one. No way a punk like this akuma would have gotten anywhere near her if she'd been at her best. Was it the hunger? He thought he'd heard a weird rumble sound earlier. Maybe he should bring some food next time. Except he didn't know when next time was going to be.

Chat Noir frowned. They should really meet up more regularly. Maybe patrol the city or something…

Yeah, that was a good enough excuse. Next akuma attack, he'd ask her.

* * *

After only two minutes of swinging, Ladybug was near enough a supermarket to return to normal. Ducking down behind a dumpster, she got ready.

"What was it again?" she muttered, trying to remember the phrase. "Oh yeah, Spots Off!"

In a small pink flash, Marinette stood in place of Ladybug.

"Well done on winning without using your powers," Tikki exclaimed, flying into Marinette's purse. "The drain would have only been worse if you had."

"But there was so much destruction!" Marinette argued, panting. "And the government's going to have to pay for it and it'll get in everyone's way, which means more taxes and people will blame me for being too weak to fix it!"

"I think you overreacting," Tikki said, silently taking in her chosen's appearance.

She was sweaty and pale, panting far harder than she should be as she leant against the dumpster for support. Her face wasn't quite gaunt, but Tikki could see how what little fat Marinette had in her face was already being eaten away at. Add in the forgetfulness and lethargy, it meant that she didn't have long before the girl would collapse.

Tikki felt her heart break for her chosen. Naively, she had thought when she helped choose Marinette, there would have been no problem with food. She lived above a bakery after all! But it seemed she underestimated how exactly a modern bakery functioned and how active Hawkmoth would be.

"But I could have fixed it!" Marinette continued. "Also… he didn't say anything, but I think Chat got really hurt by that kick. I could have healed that as well."

"You're a good person, Marinette," Tikki said, her expression softening. "But being Ladybug doesn't require constant self-sacrifice. Chat seems to be handling his hunger without trouble and a little bit of damage is fine. It can always be repaired. You however, can't be repaired."

Marinette fiddled idly with her hands and Tikki held her tongue. The bond between the two of them was only just beginning to form and she was only just getting to know Marinette. She could feel the basis of emotions that Marinette was feeling, but the intricacies were still out of her reach. Of course, thousands upon thousands of years of experience dealing with humans had its uses.

"Marinette, you deserve to be Ladybug," Tikki stated, inferring the real reason behind this sudden melancholy. "Just because you're having trouble with the hunger, doesn't change that."

"But Chat's fine…"

"We don't know Chat's situation. He might have access to lots of food that you don't. Not to mention, the sooner you start grocery shopping, the sooner you can eat a proper meal."

The girl visibly perked up at the thought of food.

"You're right, Tikki. Let's go!"

In the end, it had taken another transformation to get the food up into her room without her parents noticing anything. Everything was promptly stuffed in her wardrobe and should last there without difficulty. By the time she was done, it was dinner and Marinette promptly ran down as fast as she could.

Much later, once her parents went to bed, Marinette snuck downstairs and began her cooking. Baked potatoes weren't the tastiest meal, but they were oh-so cheap. This meant she could bake as many as she could right now and enjoy them cold for lunch tomorrow and hot for the rest of her dinner now.

It was torture, watching the oven as the potatoes baked, as the smell drifted lazily through the shop. Marinette, to her disgust, caught herself drooling twice before they even came out the oven.

With trembling hands, she divided the baked potatoes into what she would have for dinner today and for lunch tomorrow. She tucked away the ones for tomorrow into plastic containers and set them aside.

That left eight potatoes for now. With the massive bag of green-salad she had bought earlier (her parents wouldn't be suspicious of salad in the fridge), she could serve it with some (many) boiled eggs for protein and voila! She had something approximating a decent meal.

Marinette almost cried with happiness at the five heaving plates of food. Taking a moment to steady herself - she began.

She fell asleep with a smile that night.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know in the reviews what you thought. What worked and what didn't? Any particular moments you enjoyed?  
**

 **Or just write whatever you want. Either way I'd love to know what you all thought.**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	2. Chapter 2: First Times

**A/N: This chapter is a bit more actiony than the last one. Hopefully this won't put people off!**

 **Enjoy! Let me know what you guys all think!**

* * *

 **First Times**

It was a slow rainy evening in the Dupain-Cheng household. The bakery had been closed-up for the day and Marinette had finished her homework. This left the family of three time to bond by sitting together in the living room, chatting and watching a movie. Marinette sat in the armchair whilst her parents snuggled together on the sofa.

A private enjoyment of Marinette's had always been sitting inside in the warmth whilst watching it rain outside. There was just something incredibly calming about the pitter-patter of the rain on the windows. Sometimes she would just lie in her bed staring up at the rain hitting the skylight in her room and just snuggle up to her stuffed cat-toy, feeling incredibly cosy.

As she looked out through the window onto the darkened streets, she felt that similar sensation of warmth within her. She was with her family, well-fed and sleepy, ready for school tomorrow.

"Hmm, that was a nice movie," Sabine commented as the closing credits scrolled by. "I'm happy they got together in the end."

"Reminds me of a similar love story," Tom murmured slyly, kissing his wife on the cheek.

She laughed, reciprocating her husband's affections as Marinette gagged loudly. The two utterly unembarrassed parents gave her a knowing look.

"You'll be kissing boys before you know it, sweetie," her mother said, making her daughter's face go red.

"Maman, I'm not a child anymore!" Marinette responded, folding her arms like an adult. "I find boys attractive, I just haven't kissed one yet."

"Better hurry fast," her father smiled. "Or all the best ones will be gone."

"Oh, stop it, you," Sabine hit his chest light-heartedly. "Go at your own pace, Marinette. You've plenty of time. I didn't date anyone until I was twenty-five."

"She was practically a spinster," Tom added.

"Hush you," Sabine admonished with a wry grin, before kissing him again, on the lips this time.

Marinette turned away and trying not to think about how she wished she and Adrien were kissing like that. Or kissing at all really.

Or in any sort of relationship together…

The TV blared loudly, letting the whole world know that the late-night news had begun. Both her parents stopped kissing (thank god) and watched interestedly.

Marinette on the other hand turned off. Letting herself get lost in fantasies of cuddling up with Adrien inside a warm house whilst it rained heavily outside. She'd be so comfortable in his arms and he'd be such a great kisser…

"…Ladybug and Chat Noir once again were not available for comment," the news reporter read. "Government spokesmen have declared that the situation in Paris is critical and pressure is being put upon the President and the Mayor of Paris to solve the akuma situation."

Marinette immediately sat up straight in her seat as the news flashed to images of her as Ladybug shooting off into the distance before reporters could get close. Similar videos of Chat Noir were also shown, all whilst the news reader continued to talk.

"The government has little trust in these so-called 'superheroes'," an official spoke to the reporter. "We don't know who they are, they have no accountability and they vanish before we can ask any questions. How can we let the safety of our citizens depend upon two utter unknowns? Whose motivations we don't understand?"

"But so far there have been no casualties," the reporter pointed out. "Are they not doing a satisfactory job?"

"So far there have been no casualties. It has been nearly two weeks since this 'Hawkmoth' first showed up and there has been no word as to whether they are closer to apprehending him."

The official gestured wildly as he said this, whilst Marinette's frowned.

"For all we know they might be working together!" he continued. "Trying to spread terror or distrust in the competence of the government amongst the citizens. As proud people of France we should not stand for this!"

"But these are no ordinary people," the reporter said. "They have genuine super powers – it's been documented beyond reasonable doubt that this is true. Can there really be no truth to their claim that they are heroes and Hawkmoth is the villain?"

"If you ask me, something else is going on," the official continued. "And the government is getting restless. Our inability deal with the situation is apparent. Other nations are alarmed at the sudden appearance of beings with super-human abilities and they will, not might; _will_ , put pressure on us to apprehend them for questioning. The United States has already-"

Marinette felt her face go pale. The noise faded out as the sound of blood pounding in her ears grew louder and louder. It drowned out the sound of her own thoughts, making her light-headed and only able to stare in horror at the TV.

'Apprehend them.' They would be arrested? Hunted down and interrogated by the very people they were trying to protect? That wasn't fair! It was injustice! Her and Chat had never done anything to hurt anybody, it was all Hawkmoth; yet they were going to be arrested for it?

The sheer injustice of it all burnt within her. It overpowered the fear and she found herself calming down just in time to hear the end of the interview.

"The 'akuma' are dangerous and seem to appear anywhere," the reporter explained. "Without Ladybug and Chat Noir how would we cope with the situation?"

"It would be easy to form a special task force dedicated to taking down these creatures," the official continued. "One that, unlike these 'superheroes', would be fully accountable, well-trained and known to the public. I am confident that this would be an infinitely preferable alternative to unknown and dangerous beings running around Paris with no consequence."

"Thank you, Minister," the reporter said, before returning to look at the camera. "That was the Minister of the Interior weighing in on the 'superhero' debate."

He coughed before the background changed and the next topic was brought up. Sabine went for the remote,

"In current news, the flute musician Daniele Acerbi was scheduled to perform in front of the Eiffel Tower tomorrow, but his concert has been cancelled due to low ticket sales…"

The TV was turned off.

"I think it was about time we all go to bed," Sabine said, looking meaningfully at Marinette.

"Yes, maman," she replied obediently, standing up to go to her room.

Standing in the edge of the door frame, Marinette stopped, a thought having struck her.

"Um, Maman, Papa?" she rattled nervously.

"What is it, sweetie?" Tom answered.

"What do you think about Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, her heart pounding. "Do you think they're doing the right thing?"

Sabine and Tom looked at one another, before turning to regard their daughter and the look of sparkling hope in her eyes.

"Sweetie," Sabine began. "I believe the two have the best intentions, but…"

She trailed off, looking at Tom beseechingly.

"It's worrying," the baker said. "That two people we don't know are protecting us."

"Why does it matter that we don't know who they are?!" Marinette demanded. "They're helping! They're devoting their time to fight Hawkmoth and _save_ people, without asking for anything in return! Isn't that worth anything?!"

"It is," Sabine replied sternly. "And it's probably the only reason the police haven't tried to arrest them yet."

"But good intentions aren't everything, Marinette," Tom lectured. "People want to know that those who protect them can be held accountable if they make mistakes. That our lives won't be taken for granted or tossed away."

"But w-they would never do that!"

"How do you know that?" her mother's words were like needles jabbing into her heart. "If history has taught us anything, it's that intentions alone aren't enough. What if they're paid to protect richer people? What if they take advantage of their powers in other ways?"

"But-but they're superheroes!" Marinette pleaded, this line of thinking utterly alien to her. "How can you be so stupidly suspicious?!"

"That's enough, young lady," Tom ordered, his fearsome frown in place. "Go to bed now and no more attitude! You've got a long day tomorrow and you need a fresh start."

Marinette wanted to argue more, but the words just wouldn't come. She bit her lip in frustration and stormed out of the room. She continued the attitude all the way up until she shut the trapdoor behind her and Tikki zoomed out of her trouser pocket.

"This is so unfair!" Marinette ranted. "How can people just think that little of us! After everything we've done!"

"People are always afraid of what they don't understand," Tikki explained calmly. "Afraid of those with power over them, as they know what temptations lie with power."

"But we've done nothing but help!" Marinette argued. "We've taken every blow and almost always repaired all of the damage that we cause. How can they think that replacing us with a task force could be any better?!"

"It is easier to trust in what you know then what you don't," Tikki responded sadly. "Simply put, some people have more faith in their government than they do in you and Chat Noir's abilities."

"But the government can't deal with this!"

"You're right, they can't," Tikki agreed. "They never will either. Without our power to purify the akuma, the corrupted butterflies will multiply and infect more people like with Stoneheart."

The kwami sighed.

"It would be a tragedy. At best, they would kill the akumatized victim, but that would not prevent the multiplying of the akuma and they would be overrun eventually, unable to end the tide of akumatized innocents without causing untold amounts of death. At worst, they would be unable to stop the akuma at all and it would go on to cause catastrophic damage before multiplying anyway."

Marinette held her hands to her mouth in horror.

"That's- there's no words," she murmured. "We have to do something!"

"Like what?"

"I-I-I don't know," Marinette paced about, flustered. "Let them know who we are? Would that help?"

"Would you feel safer knowing that a thirteen year old was responsible for you and your family's safety?"

"I-I guess not."

"Not to mention the danger that brings upon you, me and your family," Tikki said, flying into Marinette's face. "No matter what, you cannot reveal your identity to ANYONE."

"I know," Marinette admitted sadly. "But I have to do something! If the police and the army and even other countries are trying to capture us, that'll make everything far harder than it needs to be!"

She sat down at her desk, head in her hands.

"Come on, think Marinette," she muttered. "If it were me in that situation, what would make me feel better?"

If she was feeling scared because a couple of super-powered beings showed up, what would convince her that they were trustworthy?

Marinette did her best not to feel bitter. She had already taken several injuries for her city, it was hard to think what would count more to people than that.

"Why don't you rest for now," Tikki advised. "And continue thinking tomorrow. You've got a big day ahead."

"You're right, Tikki, as usual."

"Naturally," the kwami puffed up proudly.

With a smile, Marinette climbed the ladder into her bed, turned off the light and began to drift off to sleep. Tomorrow, she would figure something out. She was Ladybug, no challenge was too great for her!

Chat Noir hopped over another roof and with a massive leap landed on top of Notre Dame. There was a particular spot they would usually meet, but alas it would seem Ladybug wasn't there tonight either. Maybe Plagg was right; maybe she only donned her suit when there was an akuma attack. It made sense, it was unlikely that she was as confined as he was.

Even with the rain pouring down on him, Chat Noir felt it was worth the ability to run and leap several stories into the air. To be able to move without consequence and to act without the near-omniscient presence of his father overhead.

Chat sagged. But it just wasn't the same on his own. It was like a part of him was missing, some part he never knew existed before meeting her. He kept glancing to the side and expecting to see her there along with him.

He groaned, holding his head in his hands as he sat down. He was literally going crazy. He hadn't even known her for two weeks yet! Technically, since they only ever talked whilst fighting an akuma, he'd only ever even talked to her meaningfully a handful of times.

Yet he was completely smitten.

A smitten kitten.

'Heh, that's good,' he realised. 'I should remember that one.'

"Someone help!"

His ears pricked up at the sound of a cry. Darting to his feet he jumped away from the building onto some nearby rooftops. The sound of a siren could be easily heard several blocks away, but Chat was closer. Just under him, as brazen as can be, on the very streets of Paris was someone mugging a couple. Chat immediately smelt blood, realising that ta man was on the ground and the woman was grappling with the assailant.

He struck like a meteor. Shooting down from the rooftops he slammed into the mugger, knocking him to the ground. The man struggled fruitlessly for a moment against the weight on his back.

"Keep trying," Chat snarled, making sure his grip on the man was tight. "See what happens."

He looked up at the startled woman.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," she answered, eyes wide in recognition and disbelief. "But my husband – he's hurt!"

Overcoming her shock, she rushed over towards the man lying at the mouth of the alley. Chat could clearly see the knife protruding from his side and quickly looked away, feeling sick. He may be a superhero, but he had never dealt with something like this before.

"Th-the police are on their way," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

The mugger underneath him bucked wildly at the mere mention. Of course, he had no chance against a pissed off superhero.

"You're not going anywhere," Chat snarled, forcing the criminals head back onto the ground with more force than strictly necessary. "Nowhere but jail anyway."

Maybe he could knock the guy out and go help the woman with her husband. Chat considered this then realised he didn't actually know how to knock someone out. He'd watched plenty of movies, TV shows and anime where people did it, but he was sceptical of their use.

'Maybe I can use the Vulcan nerve pinch,' he considered, wondering exactly where would be the best place to squeeze, when blue and red lights illuminated the alley.

"Please help, my husband's been stabbed!" the woman yelled as the two officers approached.

One crouched beside her as the other peered into the alley. Chat looked up to see one coming closer towards them. He grinned. It felt good to-

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Something hit him in the back and the shock knocked him off the mugger. He looked up only to see one of the officers with their gun out, pointing not at the cowering mugger but at him.

"Don't move!" the police officer screamed, his gun pointing towards Chat Noir. "You're under arrest!"

Chat didn't think, he just moved. He leapt to his feet and jumped three stories high before the cop could even pull the trigger.

He ignored the sounds of screaming and more gunshots and pole-vaulted the hell out of there as fast as he could. His heart hammered in his chest as he went over rooftop over rooftop and crossed arrondissement after arrondissement until he was finally near enough to his house to feel safe.

Chat stopped, leaning against a chimney as he caught his breath.

"H-he shot me," he said to himself, unable to believe it. "He actually shot me. The policeman shot me!"

A quick check confirmed what he already knew. The suit had taken the impact and there were no bullet holes. But it was cold comfort to the disbelief that clouded his mind.

He wished Ladybug was here.

"Why did he shoot me?" Chat wondered. "I had him; I had the mugger!"

It must have been a case of mistaken identity. The policeman must have panicked and shot at him because he caught him off guard. After all who expected to see a superhero in an alleyway, right?

"Yeah, that must be it," he muttered shakily, picking himself back up.

He was still running on adrenaline. A part of his mind still couldn't believe that the police would attack someone who hadn't done anything wrong.

"Anyway, that's enough Chat Noir for tonight," he decided, before hopping back to his room.

He slipped in through the bathroom window and de-transformed. Plagg shot out, rubbing his eyes sleepily as Adrien took off his shirt to check his back.

"At least we now know the suit's bulletproof," Adrien said, looking at a yawning Plagg. "There's not even a bruise!"

"I could have told you that," the kwami said grumpily. "No need to thank me by the way; I know I'm awesome!"

"But what if they'd hit me in the head?" Adrien pointed out, suddenly realising just how close he came to dying "Then I'd be dead and no-one would know!"

"Nah, magic would stop that," Plagg answered casually. "It'd be pretty useless body armour if it didn't protect your most vulnerable part. How do you think you can survive fighting akumas if your head is still a normal squishy human skull?"

"I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, only magic can affect you in that suit," Plagg explained. "And bullets ain't magic. Believe me, nothing makes a soldier piss their pants than realising their enemy is bulletproof."

"You've fought soldiers?" Adrien asked, putting on his pyjamas.

"Countless, all throughout history from numerous countries. None have even come close to besting my champions!" the Kwami puffed out his tiny chest, looking so much like an actual cat Adrien had to stifle a snigger.

"We're not really in any danger then?"

"From normal humans; not unless someone pulls off your Miraculous," Plagg said, rifling through the small den he'd made on top of the dresser. "Where's my cheese?"

"I don't know, didn't you eat before we left?"

"Adrien, I demand late-night camembert!" Plagg flew straight into his face. "I told you about your powers, I deserve compensation!"

"Alright, alright, keep your fur on," Adrien said, his mind still thinking about the attack. "Do you think that I should tell Ladybug about what happened?"

"How should I know?"

"Plagg, I did the right thing, didn't I?"

"I don't know, Adrien," Plagg answered. "How would you feel if you'd just watched instead of helped?"

"Probably worse…" he conceded.

"Then you did the right thing, kid. I'm sure Ladybug will understand. Now camembert, chop-chop."

Ladybug tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Chat Noir at the Trocadero. She stood on top of the building peering down at the sheer number of people who were about instead of having lunch.

Of course, many of them weren't looking at the monument itself or even the Eiffel Tower, of which the view was stunning and particularly worked to calm her down. Ladybug narrowed her eyes and ducked out of sight as one man, with a particularly large camera, swooped over the spot she was standing in.

Why did she have to have the most visible suit out of the two? Bright red with black spots stood out horribly pretty much everywhere. It wouldn't be long before journalists would start yelling questions at her and begging for her to come down and answer them. Something she simply refused to do before talking to her partner and sorting everything out.

Speaking of which, she saw the black blur hurtling towards her.

"My lady!" he said, smiling.

"Nice to see you too, Chat," Ladybug smiled, before putting her hands on her hips. "Now what was that I saw about you and a mugging on the news this morning?"

His ears laid flat on his head as he peered up at her with innocent eyes.

"I was out last night and stopped a mugging," Chat explained. "But when the police came they shot me instead of the mugger."

"Wait, you were shot?!" Ladybug cried out, outraged. "It didn't say anything about that! How are you feeling? Where were you hit? Whose arms do I have to break?"

Chat felt his face heat up as Ladybug began gently patting him down and examining him. Even so he couldn't quite stop the love-struck smile at her protectiveness.

"N-no, my lady," he quickly exclaimed. "I'm not hurt, these suits are bulletproof, you know?"

"No, I didn't know that!" Ladybug replied. "And I can't you found out like this! I am going to have words with the mayor!"

"The mayor?!"

"Yes, Chat," Ladybug seemed to calm down, but her countenance was still stone. "Something happened that made me think about how the people view us."

"But they love us, we're superheroes!" he protested.

"Yes and no," she corrected, sitting on the side of the building and letting her legs dangle. "We're superheroes, but not everyone loves and trusts us. I think that you were shot at proves my point. We need to sit down and explain to the mayor and the public about Hawkmoth, the akumas and what we're doing to stop him."

"Do you think that will help?" Chat said, sitting down next to her and letting his legs dangle beside hers.

"It will make people more likely to trust us if we have to talk to them regularly," she answered, this new way of thinking still strange to her. "If people feel like they can hold us accountable then they'll be more likely to support us."

Chat stared at her, amazed. She squirmed a little under the attention, turning her head back to the city and staring at the Eiffel Tower to calm herself.

"And I was just going to ask you to patrol with me," he mentioned, rubbing the back of his head.

"What?"

"Well, my lady," Chat Noir grinned. "If we want to purr-vide good will, then why not spend some time helping out people with other crimes as well? There must be all sorts of stuff happening across the city."

"You're saying we should meet up and patrol the city?" Ladybug repeated, mulling the idea over in her mind.

"That's what the superheroes in comics do," he argued.

"Yeah, but that's a lot of work," she pointed out, gesturing out towards the city. "Paris is huge, there's no way we could cover the whole city."

"It doesn't have to be every night," Chat claimed, nearly bouncing in his excitement. "And it doesn't have to be the whole city. It could just be for an hour or so. Just so people know we're protecting them. If we stop regular crime they'll love us more, right?"

Ladybug had to concede that it was a good point. However, the thought of running around Paris in the dead of night looking for crime to stop didn't exactly sound like fun. But if the people did feel more like they could trust them…

"Alright then, Chaton," she said, giving his bell a flick. "I'm game."

"YES!" Chat cheered, pumping his fists into the air. "You won't regret it, my lady! It'll be great!"

Ladybug smiled. He really had been looking forward to patrolling with her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It's not like crime was rampant throughout Paris; they'd probably just be sitting around bored most of the time.

"Looking forward to it, Chaton," she replied. "But first we should go talk to the mayor. I'm free after five, what about you?"

He turned to her with wide hopeful eyes and a blinding smile. She suddenly felt the urge to ruffle his messy hair. She shook herself. He probably wouldn't have appreciated that. Ladybug felt her gaze inexplicably drawn back to the sight of the Eiffel Tower and sighed in relaxation.

Idly, her mind began to wander. She only had forty minutes left for lunch. She should get back soon if she wanted any chance of getting something to eat.

"My lady, do you hear anything?" Chat Noir asked, his ears pricked and twitching.

"No," Ladybug waited. "What's wrong?"

"Paris at midday is silent?"

Realisation struck her like a train and she leapt to her feet. There were none of the sounds that had accompanied her throughout her entire life. No sound of distant machines or people talking. She looked down at the grounds of the Trocadero and all the people were gathered further away towards the Eiffel Tower.

Only one thing could have caused this.

"Akuma," she hissed, leaping to her feet.

"My thoughts exactly, my lady," Chat agreed, putting his back to hers.

"How did they all leave without us noticing?" she wondered.

"I don't know, I was looking at you."

"Well I was looking at the-," Ladybug paused, as she turned back towards the Eiffel Tower.

Immediately a sense of calmness rushed over her. There was nothing to worry about really. Who cared if everyone had gone? Maybe they were somewhere better? Like the Tower. Yeah, the Eiffel Tower was beautiful at this time of day. It was so inspirational. They should really get a closer look…

"Ladybug? Ladybug?" Chat shook her hard, breaking her out of her trance.

She blinked stupidly as all she could see was his face.

"There's- there's something weird going on," she managed, still not quite feeling like herself. "It has something to do with the Eiffel Tower."

"I think I see a crowd over near the Eiffel Tower," he said, squinting. "Like a really big one."

"That's probably out best bet," Ladybug said, her tone becoming all business. "Let's move, you have the rear?"

"Of course, my lady," Chat Noir answered, before smirking. "Although yours is far better."

She turned to glare.

"Have you got my back?" Ladybug corrected, folding her arms unimpressed.

"That too."

"Good," she ground out, shaking her head.

"Though that's not quite as lovely."

"Always got to have the last word, don't you?" she muttered, before leaping away as Chat cackled behind her.

"It would be quite the _cat-_ astrophe if I didn't!" he yelled after her.

"I'm not listening!" Ladybug shouted back.

A couple of minutes later they landed on some nearby trees at the edge of the crowd. Upon which they noticed two things. One, that the crowd was _huge_. There had to be thousands of people gathered around the Eiffel Tower. Two, that they were far quieter than any crowd that size had a right to be.

"Why are they just standing there?" Ladybug wondered out loud, as Chat's leather ears perked up.

"Man, what's that awful music?" he said, rubbing his ears. "It's terrible, really grating. Way too high pitched."

"What music?" Ladybug asked, looking at him perplexed.

"Can't you hear it? It's like a flute or something," Chat's ears laid down flat on his head as he covered them with his hands. "I thought I could hear something earlier, but right now it's really loud."

Ladybug couldn't hear anything. She turned back towards the crowd. They were all looking towards the Eiffel Tower and the small figure she could just make out, standing at the base.

"I think the akuma is over there," she said. "It's not attacking anyone though."

As she thought her gaze turned back towards the figure. He was standing still, swaying slightly, although he was too far away for her to be able to tell exactly what he was doing.

Did it matter what he was doing though? He's not hurting anybody. He's probably not even an akuma. They should just stay here and examine him though, just in case. It was so fascinating the way he swayed. She could just watch for hours and hours.

"Ladybug, Ladybug!"

Chat Noir's voice pierced her thoughts like a foot through a drum and she staggered, her head spinning so much she nearly fell out of the tree.

"Ladybug, are you feeling alright?" Chat questioned with concern. "Are you feeling ill?"

"I-I'm fine, Chaton," she said quickly, holding her head. "Something weird is going. We should confront the akuma. I don't know what it is he's doing, but we should put a stop to it."

"Alright, right behind you."

The two drew their weapons and swung and pole-vaulted over the crowd and towards the centre. The akuma stood on a raised platform in the centre and was playing a large flute. He was wearing red, green and white striped clothing that reminded Ladybug of a jester. Even as they approached he did not stop playing his flute, yet no music could be heard.

The two landed on the platform in front of him.

"Alright akuma, give it up," Ladybug ordered, pointing.

"And stop with that purr-thetic music!" Chat added, his hands back over his ears. "It's awful!"

The akuma's eyes narrowed as he brought the flute away from his lips.

"You can hear the melody of the Flagitious Flautist?" the newly identified akuma asked. "I'm surprised than anyone with culture exists in this backwater city."

Chat snickered.

"That's your name? Wow, Hawkmoth is truly getting desperate."

"Chat, focus!" Ladybug scolded. "His akuma is most likely in his flute. It doesn't really fit with the rest of his outfit."

"Yeah, it actually looks dignified."

The akuma's face turned red with rage.

"How dare you disparage my dignity!" he screamed, proudly stamping his foot. "I am the greatest musician in the world!"

"Then why do you look like a clown?" Chat countered, smirking widely at the fuming akuma. "Hey, don't get all flute-ry. Don't _blow_ my jokes out of proportion."

The Flagitious Flautist brought his flute to his lips. Immediately, Ladybug darted towards him as he begun to play, Chat on her heels.

The flutist's melody was audible this time, which tipped Ladybug off that something was wrong. She threw her yo-yo towards him, only for an energy shield to appear around him. The yo-yo bounced harmlessly off.

Then he changed note. The shield turned red and screamed forwards, careening into them and knocking them onto their backs.

They both leapt to their feet as the flutist began the melody again. Chat charged forwards this time with Ladybug following him.

He extended his baton forwards like a bullet, only for the akuma to side-step the attack, not even slowing down his melody. Chat grinned and detached his baton into two pieces, extending the other half once again.

It caught the akuma in the chest, knocking him backwards near the edge of the platform. With a cry, Chat leapt into the air, bringing his baton down onto the akuma.

Only to hit the blue shield. Chat only had a moment to panic as the note changed. The shield turned red and blasted forwards, blowing Chat high into the air and over the crowd where he landed painfully.

The Flautist grinned. Then there was whir. He barely dodged the yo-yo that shot through the space his flute had just been.

Ladybug retracted her weapon, glaring at him.

"You'll pay for that," she assured him. "That's a promise."

"I doubt it," the akuma replied, before a sickening smile shot across his face. "However, my dear, I noticed that unlike your partner, you had no complaints about my performance."

"There was nothing to complain about," she said, weary. "Though I'll take his word for it about your lack of talent."

The Flutist laughed.

"Perfect," he said and began to play like before.

There was no sound, but immediately, Ladybug felt a difference. It was like the air became heavy and her limbs were encased in concrete. She could only stare at his still figure as he played, his practiced fingers rhythmically moving up and down the instrument. It felt like his fingers were in her brain, playing some strange inaudible tune onto her skull.

Ladybug clutched at her head, fear taking hold at her sloppy movements.

All her attention was on the flute. It made no sound, but it was beautiful all the same. He really knew how to play. What was she supposed to be doing again?

Ladybug blinked. She had completely forgotten. Something about a flute? But there was a man playing a flute right in front of her.

A smile lit up her face. Then she had succeeded. She had found a flute. She giggled. That had been really easy.

Her head felt light, so amazingly light. Lighter and freer than she could ever remember being. Why would she ever be unhappy when she could feel like this? No responsibilities, no obligations, no reason to do anything.

Oh, the flute man was getting closer. She wondered what he wanted. Ladybug giggled. He probably wanted her to find more flutes since she was so good at it.

He was smiling as he played. It was such a gorgeous smile. She hoped he would smile at her like that again.

 _Close your eyes._

Ladybug couldn't think of a reason not to obey that beautiful voice, so she did.

 _Open your eyes._

She obeyed.

The flute man was right in front of her, still playing his flute. Ladybug giggled and a massive smile graced her face. She had found him again!

His hand cupped her face. It felt nice so she leaned in.

Only for someone else to knock the man away.

Ladybug frowned as another person, a boy dressed in black appeared in front of her. He was saying something to her but she couldn't understand what.

Not that it mattered. He wasn't the voice so it didn't matter what he said.

She didn't like him as much. When he came back the lightness became heavier and she felt weird. Weird…. Like she should know him.

 _Ladybug._

That was her! Excited, her eyes turned back to the flute man.

 _Kill Chat Noir and take his Miraculous._

She pondered the thought, swaying slightly as she delicately turned the order over in her mind.

Well that seemed reasonable.

Chat Noir's fall was broken by several silent civilians. With muffled apologies, he broke away from them and began to push his way back through the crowds. Damn all these people acting like statues. It was infuriating and more than a little creepy.

He had to get back to the fight.

That damn ringing was back and it took more concentration than he would have liked to just lay his ears flat and try to ignore it.

Either way, he had to toughen up and take the fight more seriously. Ladybug would be so mad at him if he got back and she had already done all the work.

He pushed past the last couple of people and suddenly could see the platform. Ladybug and the akuma were standing there nearby. Together. She had the same blank smile as the rest of the people around them.

The akuma was stroking her cheek.

Ladybug closed her eyes and leaned into the akumas hand.

Chat saw red.

He dived forwards and slammed his shoulder into the flutist with everything he had. The akuma screamed as he was sent tumbling.

"Ladybug, Ladybug, wake up!" Chat yelled, his hands on her shoulders. "What did you do to her?!"

The Flautist stood up shakily, a manic grin on his face.

"Your weird cat-hearing seems to make you immune to my mind control," the akuma observed. "However, it didn't save her, did it?"

Chat turned to look back at Ladybug. She was frowning as she stared at him, like she was trying to remember him.

"Please, Ladybug, fight it! It's me, Chat Noir!" he pleaded.

The blank look in her eyes seemed to brighten for a moment. A familiar spark of life flared into existence as he stared beseechingly into her eyes.

Hope exploded into his heart as her mouth opened to say his name.

Then that noise appeared again.

The bastard was playing the flute again. That sickeningly sweet smile reappeared on her face and she shot a longing expression towards the akuma.

"No! Fight it, Ladybug!" he continued, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Please, don't let him win."

She turned back towards him.

Then punched him straight in the stomach. He doubled over, only to get a knee in the face and a final kick sent him flying backwards.

Chat skidded across the ground, clutching at his face.

'Crap!' he thought, barely springing out of the way as Ladybug's foot came down where his head had just been.

He scooped up his baton and managed to block her punch with it, only to get his legs swept out.

Chat clattered to the floor again, rolling desperately to avoid each consecutive stomp of her foot. Desperate, he flung out his baton and caught her in the leg.

As she toppled over, he leapt onto her to restrain her. His hands fastened around her wrists, only for her feet to catch his chest.

She extended her legs, forcing him to let go and sending him flying through the air.

Chat righted himself as he landed, doing his best not to panic as Ladybug rushed him again, her yo-yo spinning in her hand. He knocked away her first blow and barely blocked the second with his baton.

Ladybug spun her yo-yo in a complicated arc, battering him from every side. Left, right he blocked each strike that pinged off his baton like a mortar shell. He deflected one brutal attack and jabbed his baton forwards into her chest.

She staggered back and Chat surged forwards, only to trip as her yo-yo pulled taught around his legs. His claws scraped against the ground as she pulled him along, before flinging him over head and back onto the ground. Before he could move he was lifted again over her head and slammed into the ground again.

Again, he felt a tug but this time Chat had to hold onto his baton for all he was worth as Ladybug spun him around her over and over, gaining speed as she did so. The yo-yo's string lengthened as the speed grew faster and faster. Chat's eyes watered at the force and the muscles in his legs burned as he was spun. The world around him was an utter blur, then he was slammed into one of the legs of the Eiffel Tower.

He broke through steel beams and dented others, his back screaming in agony. Before he could gain his bearings, once again there was a tug and he was pulled into the air once more.

With herculean effort, he managed to bend down and bring his claws underneath the yo-yo string. He loosened it enough that the yo-yo let go and he cheered.

Then screamed as he sailed high up into the air and far away from the platform. After taking a moment to panic, Chat Noir waited to reach the arc of the throw, before angling himself downwards for the landing.

He slammed into a street hard enough to crack the concrete before standing up. Everything hurt. Ladybug suddenly wasn't pulling her punches.

Chat Noir took stock of where he had landed, realising he was only a stone's throw away from his school. The streets were deserted, apparently word had gotten out that there was an akuma on the loose.

He bit his lip as guilt run through him.

Ladybug had been mind-controlled. He hadn't been there. He'd done the exact opposite of what she'd wanted and now she had paid for it. If he hadn't rushed in and waited for her to come up with something, this would have never happened.

What could he do now?!

There was no way to purify the akuma without her. She was most likely hunting him down as he lay here.

With that thought, Chat immediately scrambled into a nearby alley. He squatted behind a dumpster, before doubling checking left, right and up.

"Claws in," he whispered, feeling the drain as his superhuman abilities left him.

All his injuries seemed to throb even harder with pain. Adrien staggered and held a hand out to the wall to hold himself up.

"You've got yourself in a right mess this time, kid," Plagg commented, floating next to his head. "You look like shit."

"Thanks, Plagg," Adrien answered dryly, sliding down the wall. "Really appreciate your honesty."

Plagg sat down on his knee, giving him a once over with his sharp green eyes.

"What's the plan?" he asked, idly swinging his tail. "You know they'll both be looking for you."

"I don't know," Adrien admitted, holding his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

"Well panicking isn't going to help," Plagg added. "Look, Ladybug is kicking your ass, so clearly you have to go after the akuma."

"But she can't cleanse the akuma if she's hypnotised," he protested. "I need to somehow free her from its control."

"Then you'll have to be able to restrain her somehow," Plagg said. "Her yo-yo is unbreakable. If you can overwhelm her and tie her up with that, you can then focus on the akuma."

"There are several problems with that," Adrien pointed out, nursing a particularly bad bruise on his cheek. "One, as you saw, I can barely touch her, let alone restrain her with her own weapon. Two, she's probably guarding the akuma. Three, even if I managed it, it wouldn't break the brainwashing and the akuma would get away and multiply."

"If you break the object, generally the curses vanish as well," Plagg explained. "Which could free Ladybug in time to purify it before it gets away."

Adrien's head rose hopefully.

"So, if I can just get her away from him then break the flute, then we can win?"

"Exactly," Plagg grinned. "But you still need a way to get around Ladybug."

Adrien wracked brain trying to think of something. As much as he loathed to admit it, he simply could not win in a straight fight. Neither of them were stronger, faster or more durable than the other; it was simply the fact that she was the better fighter. How do you beat someone who is a better fighter than you in a fight?

"What would she do?" Adrien wondered. "If our positions were reversed and she had to fight someone stronger than her, what would she do?"

"It's impossible to beat someone better than you in a fair fight," Plagg commented, leaning back on his hands. "Pity you're not the better fighter."

"Wait Plagg, say that again."

"Pity you're not a better fighter?"

"No, before that."

"It's impossible to beat someone better than you in a fair fight?"

"If it was Ladybug," Adrien began, giving a very Chat-like smirk. "Then she wouldn't fight fair, would she?"

Plagg grinned like a sinner.

"Now you're thinking, kid," he cheered. "There's always a way!"

Plagg's face then scrunched up in pain and he put his paws over his ears.

"Wow, you weren't kidding; that music is awful!"

"I can't hear anything now," Adrien noted with slowly growing dread.

"You're welcome, now transform quickly before you're hypnotised as well!"

"Right, Claws out!"

Chat Noir lunged out of the alleyway and sprinted towards the school. He wasn't sure if Ladybug had figured out his exact position, but she would definitely follow him in here. Already he could hear that irritating ringing sound from the flute.

He burst through the front doors and ran through the empty hallways. It would take some time but he knew he would be able to find the perfect place.

Above him in the courtyard, Ladybug landed on the roof of the building. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Chat Noir run through a nearby door. She jumped down into the courtyard and rushed forwards, opening the door to confront him.

It was a locker room. Wooden benches and lockers lined the walls in tightly packed rows, with islands of locker rows floating detached in the middle. There were no windows and no other doors into the room. Chat Noir was here somewhere.

Ladybug strode forwards, her eyes darted about as she looked for any other sign of Chat Noir. Left, right and even above in case he was clinging to the light fixtures. But there was nothing.

On guard, she slowly weaved between the rows of high lockers, yo-yo spinning rapidly in hand. Her ears strained, her eyes watched, looking for any sign of Chat Noir.

Then the lights went out.

Immediately the room was plunged into complete darkness. Ladybug ran back to where she knew the door would be, only to run straight into a fist.

"Hey there," Chat grinned, perfectly able to see. "Fancy seeing you here in the boy's locker room, my lady."

She lashed out with a fist of her own. Only for Chat to sidestep it and hit her again, knocking her onto her back.

"Thinking impure thoughts, my lady?" he taunted. "Can't say I blame you for wanting to see a new side of me."

Ladybug immediately sprung to her feet and threw her yo-yo forwards. Chat ducked under it and vanished, leaving her alone in the dark. She continued making her way back towards the door, only to have a locker slam into her.

"Sorry, my lady," Chat apologised. "But I can't let you leave just yet."

Ladybug picked herself up, eyes wide open in the dark and unable to see him at all, even as he stood right in front of her. Chat almost felt bad.

He charged and Ladybug put up her fists. He punched her in the face, only to get a punch in his stomach in retaliation. Chat reached out and grappled with her extended fist, trying to wrestle the yo-yo out of it. Ladybug struggled, shifting her weight so that they both toppled to the floor, although he was on top.

It was a mess of muscle and flesh and struggling as they pushed and pulled against one another. Chat grinned as he slowly, ever so slowly, managed to pry her fingers open and grabbed her yo-yo.

Then the door opened.

Light burst in like a flower in bloom, revealing the two struggling superheroes to the akuma. Chat Noir froze at the sight, seeing Ladybug's blank eyes swivel to focus on his face.

The kick sent him straight into the wall. He felt it shift and crack from the impact. Chat struggled to stand up. He looked up just in time to greet two boots to his face that sent him through the wall completely.

Chat Noir blinked, looking up confusedly at the fading green paint on the ceiling. He had been knocked into another room.

Uncomfortable-looking wooden chairs and tables, faded colours on the walls and the blackboard at the front, it looked just like an old classroom.

'I had no idea this was here,' Chat managed to think before being forced to dodge another stomp from Ladybug.

In the gloom, the bright red of her suit stood out massively.

'Wait, bright red?!' he realised.

As if in testament to his eternal bad luck, this room had windows. Three giant storey high windows that lined the outer wall.

"Oh crap," he panted, putting up his fists for one final bout as Ladybug charged.

'I don't have much more in me,' Chat realised with a growing dread.

His chest felt tight, like his suit was restricting his breathing. He couldn't quite catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his aching body and his limbs were shaking. His injuries were severely hampering him and Ladybug was getting more and more blows in.

He unwound her yo-yo and leapt at her. Desperation forced his hand as he tried to wrap her in it. Her hands interlocked with his as they both struggled with the yo-yo. Chat Noir yelled as he put all his strength into moving her backwards.

Ladybug's back slammed against the blackboard hard enough to knock it over. Then her head came forward and slammed into his. Stars exploded in his eyes as she followed up with a kick to the side of his leg, sending him to the ground. Disorientated, he felt the yo-yo leave his hands as Ladybug's knees crashed down onto his arms, pinning him to the ground.

Chat barely had time to gasp before the yo-yo was wound round his neck and pulled tight. He choked and gasped and spluttered. His nails dug deeply into everything they could grasp, but it was futile.

'I'm going to die,' Chat realised, darkness creeping into the corners of his vision.

"Please…" Chat coughed, his claws straining feebly against her arms. "Please… Ladybug… I… I love…"

There was no acknowledgement in her eyes. No change in expression on her face. It was the same as it had been the entire fight. Blank with a slight smile, like one would have on a pleasant sunny day out with friends. She smiled as she strangled him to death.

He couldn't get the words out. He was going to die without her ever knowing how much she meant to him.

'No,' the thought was unbearable. 'NO! I'll live! I'll live and I'll tell her!'

His arms surged forwards with the last desperate strength of a dying man his claws dug into something and scraped.

 _SCREEECH!_

Ladybug's eyes widened and the smile slipped from her face. The pressure lifted and Chat Noir could push her off him. He kneeled, spluttering and gasping desperately for breath. He stayed like that for a few moments before he realised Ladybug wasn't attacking him.

She was curled up into a ball with her hands over her ears.

Chat Noir's eyes followed towards his right arm. His claws were embedded deep into the blackboard where they had drawn a deep scar across.

He grinned.

"That's your weakness, isn't it?" he crowed triumphantly. "The only way to beat an annoying sound is an even more annoying sound!"

"No, stop!" the Flautist ordered, entering the room through the hole in the wall. "Ladybug, kill him!"

Ladybug shakily got to her feet as Chat Noir leaned casually against the wall. She took a step forwards.

 _SCREECCHHH!_

She recoiled with a pained moan, her hands over her ears as she staggered away.

"STOP!" the akuma yelled, his own hands over his ears. "Stop with that awful noise!"

"Oh, what noise?" Chat asked with mocking innocence. "You mean this one?"

He scraped his claws down the blackboard again.

 _SCREEEECCCH!_

Both Ladybug and the akuma were covering their ears in pain. Although Ladybug was suffering worse. Her body shook and shuddered as she groaned in pain, her hands desperately trying to cover her ears.

"Come on, my lady," Chat panted. "Follow the sound of my voice. Oh, and this."

 _SCREEEECCCCHHH!_

She slumped to the floor and her body trembled, before staying still. Then she suddenly sat up.

"What-what am I doing here?" she asked, her eyes were bright and alive once again. "Is this the kindergarten classroom-"

"LADYBUG!" Chat cut her off with a bone-breaking hug. "You're back! You've come back to me!"

"Chat?" her beautiful eyes blinked up at him in confusion. "What happened to you? Y-you look awful. Did-did I do that?"

"Not to worry, my lady," he sniffled tearfully, rubbing his cheek against hers. "I'm just you're back!"

"Chaton, I'm so sorry," she said. "But where's the akuma?"

He pointed to the back of the classroom.

"I've got this, Chaton," she said resolutely, wincing at the look on his face. "Just rest. I'll deal with him."

"But what if he gets you again?" Chat whimpered. "I-I don't think I can-,"

His voice halted as she put a finger to his lips. Gently, remorsefully, she unwound the yo-yo around his neck and held his face.

"Trust me, Chaton, I think you can help more from here," she winked at him. "Now, it's my turn."

His legs collapsed out from under him as Ladybug squared up towards the end of the classroom.

"Lucky Charm!"

There was a flare of red light and something dropped into Ladybug's hand.

"Oi, Flautist!" she called.

The akuma was still on his knees, but he looked up at Ladybug. Her expression must have been thunderous as the akuma immediately paled.

"Remember what I promised earlier?" she asked, punching her open hand.

She surged forwards and he brought his flute to his lips-

 _SCCREEECCHH!_

Chat grinned as his claws scraped against the board with glee. Ladybug's face mirrored his as she got within range.

The akuma had winced and that was all the opening she'd needed.

Her leg shot out and the flute was knocked from his hands. She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and her fist flew into his face.

"That was for mind-controlling me!"

And again.

"And that was for making me hurt Chat!"

And again.

"And that was for your damn awful music!"

The akuma lashed out, slamming his head into hers. He darted away towards his flute, with Ladybug on his heels.

With a vicious grin, he kicked out at one of the desks and sent it flying straight towards Chat Noir.

"No!" Ladybug cried out, diverting to defend her injured partner.

The desk was blown to pieces as she careened into it. However, the pieces shredded through the blackboard.

The akuma reached his flute and cackled.

"You'll be mine again, Ladybug!" he roared as she paled.

They were on opposite ends of the classroom, she wouldn't be able to make it before he mind-controlled her again.

She ran forwards anyway.

The Flautist played and Chat was out of blackboard.

"NO!" he screamed, tears in his eyes. "Fight it, Ladybug!"

Ladybug staggered forwards, like she was fighting against a powerful wind. Step after step as the music washed over her. She trembled as the akuma's power flowed over her.

Her face strained as she fought the influence of the music. She got closer and closer to the akuma. The flautist paled as she stood right in front of him, fist raised high. Before it dropped and her arms sagged.

The same dreamy smile flickered across her face as before.

"NO! NO, LADYBUG!" Chat cried out, trying to find a piece of the blackboard that was still intact.

The akuma laughed and laughed.

"Kill him, Ladybug! Take his miraculous!"

Ladybug turned towards Chat and swiped the flute from the akuma's hands. With a simple movement, she broke it over her knee and the butterfly appeared. His power broken, the akuma fell to his knees.

"Time to de-evilise!" Ladybug cried out, swinging her yo-yo and purifying the akuma. "Bye-bye little butterfly."

Chat relaxed and slumped down onto the ground as Ladybug ran back towards him.

"CHAT, ARE YOU OK?!" she yelled.

He winced.

"I'm fine, my lady," he breathed. "But how did you not get hypnotised?"

"WHAT?!"

Ladybug reached into her ears and withdrew two red and black-spotted ear plugs.

"What was that, Chaton?" she questioned. "I didn't hear a word you said."

Chat just laughed. Even as she threw them into the air and cried out her signature move. The ladybugs washed over him, restoring him to normal.

Then he was tackled.

"I'm sorry, Chaton!" Ladybug cried, holding onto him tightly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Hey, it's no big deal," Chat said, wrapping his arms around her as well.

'Our first hug,' he squealed internally. Although he wished the circumstances could have been better.

"I shouldn't have charged in at the start," he admitted. "Then you wouldn't have gotten brainwashed."

"It's really scary," Ladybug admitted, looking up at him. "That there are akuma that can do that."

"You think there'll be others?" Chat shuddered.

"Considering how successful this one was, I don't doubt it."

They held each other for a moment. Nothing could be heard but the sounds of the two teenagers breathing.

Chat realised then just how scary it must have been. To know that your free will can be taken away and that you can be forced to kill someone you love. There was no inner battle or fight of willpower like in his anime. It could only be avoided.

'I hope it never happens to me,' he thought, focusing only on the warm feeling of Ladybug in his arms. 'I'll never forgive myself if I hurt her.'

 _Beep-beep-beep!_

Her earrings went off. Slowly, reluctantly, Ladybug pulled away.

"I've got to go, Chaton," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow evening for our first patrol, ok?"

"Not today?"

Immediately he regretted saying it.

"I-I think I need some time," Ladybug admitted, looking away from his eyes. "Tomorrow for sure though, alright?"

"Of course, my lady," he bowed theatrically, delighting in her laugh. "Have a pleasant night."

"You too, Chaton," she answered, giving him a smile before vanishing through the door. "You too."

* * *

It was the next evening when Ladybug jumped up onto the Arc De Triomphe. Chat Noir, because of course he was already there waiting for her, immediately perked up.

"My lady!" he smiled widely, bounding up to her. "H-how are you? You feeling alright?"

"Much better, Chaton," she returned his smile. "And I've brought snacks for you."

She rolled her eyes as his face lit up.

"Of course, that gets you excited."

"My lady, as much as I adore your very image, the promise of food is always an attractive one."

He tried to loom over her to get a better look as she unhooked her backpack.

"Anything good?"

"I hope so; I made them," Ladybug laughed as she withdrew a box from her backpack. "Here."

Reverently, Chat Noir opened the lid to see twelve beautifully decorated cupcakes. All decorated in his colours. His heart beat so hard she must have been able to hear it. Ladybug can cook. She cooked for him! His mind helpfully conjured the image of her in an apron baking cupcakes and thinking of him.

He swallowed, his throat suddenly extremely dry.

"Thanks, Bugaboo," he just about managed, before offering the box to her. "Lady gets first pick."

"They're for you, Chaton," she said resolutely. "It's to apologise."

"Apologise for what?"

"F-for hurting you," Ladybug admitted, turning away.

"Ladybug, that wasn't your fault."

"But I feel like it's my fault," she argued. "So, I want to make it up to you! When you woke me up, you looked-god, you looked awful. Please just accept it, Chaton."

He stared at her.

"I mean if you don't want it, you don't have to accept it," she floundered. "It's just I-I-,"

He pulled her into another hug.

"It's not your fault, my lady," he said sincerely. "And I'll accept your cupcakes, but only if I can share them with you."

She sniffed.

"Alright."

They sat down and together began to eat. They laughed and ate for the next two hours, completely forgetting their original purpose of being out there.

Below them, in the city of Paris, it was business as usual. The cars honked and drove, the people chatted and laughed and the world kept on turning. For one more night at least, instead of silence, the city was filled with the sound of merriment.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Here is the second chapter. I very much enjoy writing in this fandom, it's very interesting to write characters that are rather different to what I'm used to.**

 **Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter as well. Any ideas or suggestions for improving would be greatly appreciated.**

 **Thank you for reading, take care until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Things Are Not

**A/N: This one is a two-parter, so I hope you all enjoy.**

 **I've put in responses to reviews at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Things Are Not**

Being woken up early in the morning was Marinette's kryptonite. It sapped her of energy for the rest of the day and put her in a cranky mood. Treacherously, her parents used this against her far more often than she was fond of. Of course, normally it was saved for emergencies or punishments, but today was a special occasion.

It was a Friday, and this Friday indicated that the bakery was re-stocking on its supplies. Things such as flour, yeast and other confectionaries that are vital to a bakery were all being delivered this morning.

Sabine had sprained her ankle last night, which meant now Tom needed someone else to help bring in the supplies from the van outside. Of course, the only someone that was available on such short notice was his daughter, Marinette.

Of course, to have time to bring the supplies in, take stock, begin the baking for the day and be ready to serve the customers at the bakery's usual opening time, the delivery had to come in early.

Very early.

Marinette cursed her luck as she scrappily flopped out of her bed at four in the morning. Her never-ending streak of bad luck continued as she tripped over her own covers and fell down the stairs to land painfully on her rump.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" Tikki asked, the infernal creature somehow wide awake at this time.

"No," Marinette answered grumpily, kicking the covers away from her with a typical early morning fury. "The sun hasn't even gotten up yet and I have to get dressed and help Papa do the heavy lifting."

"Well it is helping your parents," Tikki said, floating beside Marinette as the girl tried in vain to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "I'm sure they appreciate it."

"I know," Marinette admitted. "But it's such a pain. Whenever I help with this, my arms end up aching all day!"

Marinette had a quick shower and got dressed. She came downstairs just in time to catch her father's warm smile as he took something out the oven.

"Good morning, my little angel," Tom greeted, laying a big fuzzy kiss on his daughter's forehead.

"Morning, Papa," she replied tiredly, hugging him tightly. "Is it a big order today?"

"I'm afraid so," he answered, before flexing. "Since you'll be needing your strength to work with us men today, I've made a bigger breakfast."

Marinette's eyes widened considerably at the two massive plates laden with browned sausages, crispy bacon, two fried eggs, two pieces of toast, grilled tomatoes and baby mushrooms. The smell wafted delicately through the air, mixed with the divine scent of coffee that sat innocently in a mug by each plate.

In that moment, Marinette almost forgave him for waking her up so early.

"Thanks, Papa," she gasped, sitting at her usual place at the table with a grin stretching right across her face.

"It's important to keep your strength up," her father lectured as he sat down. "If you can't eat all of it, don't force yourself. I'll be more than happy to take the rest off your plate, literally."

"You're awful," Marinette responded with a grin.

They ate in near silence as the minutes passed by. Marinette was the first to finish, laying down her cutlery with a satisfied sigh. Her father clasped her on the back.

"Clean plate, that's my girl!"

"Thanks, Papa."

"Go downstairs and warm up the ovens," he ordered as he gathered the plates. "They'll be here with the delivery any minute now. And there isn't _mushroom_ to put it up here."

Marinette folded her arms, unimpressed.

"Your puns are terrible, Papa," she declared, making her way downstairs. "I think they're somehow getting worse."

"Your mother always said the same thing, yet look at us now!"

Marinette snorted.

"Like I'll ever marry someone who likes puns that much."

A part of her had always been fond of the bakery in the early mornings. Everything was so quiet, so tranquil, so utterly full of possibilities for the upcoming day. Marinette turned the lights on and calmly lit the fires for the ovens. As she was finishing up, a truck pulled up outside and her father came down the stairs.

"They're here!"

Strictly speaking, her father wasn't alone in getting the supplies into the storage room. The two men who drove the truck also helped. However, they had a schedule to keep and would leave things outside if they had to.

Marinette watched and waited for them to give her something they thought she could carry. They were both large men, although not as broad as her father, and they both hefted the massive bags of flour over their shoulders to where he directed them. With some pride, Marinette noted her papa carried two bags for each one of theirs.

However, frustration built up within her as they continuously ignored her whilst unloading all the supplies. She was down here to help, not just to stand here and look pretty. Once all three of them had walked into the store they left Marinette outside by the truck on her own.

She walked over towards the last five bags of flour, grabbed the bottom one and lifted all of them into her arms.

'This isn't too bad,' Marinette noted, struggling only a little. 'Papa must have ordered lighter flour than usual.'

She remembered when she was little, she wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the large flour bags, but just look at her now. She walked proudly into the store, all five bags in her arms just in time to meet her father and the two helpers coming the other way.

"I've got the rest," she smiled brightly.

Alarmed, the three surged forwards to take the flour out of her startled hands.

"Marinette, careful!" Tom said, quickly hefting two bags over his shoulder and one under his arm. "Don't try and carry that much, you'll hurt yourself."

"You need to be careful, young lady," one of the helpers reprimanded. "Just because you want to help doesn't mean you should overdo it."

Marinette frowned, looking down in confusion at the one remaining bag in her arms. It honestly felt like there was barely anything there.

Then she saw the slight strain that was clear on her father from lifting just three of the bags. Both helpers were similarly sweating as they carried their own bags to the back.

With slowly growing dread, Marinette looked down at the sack in her arms. Printed on the front of the bag in big bold letters that only a sleep-deprived thirteen-year old idiot of a girl could miss were the words: 35kg.

She had been carrying one-hundred and seventy-five kilograms casually. No wonder they had panicked. They had probably thought she was about to collapse or something. Not saying anything else, Marinette stiffly put the bag with the others and said goodbye to the two delivery men.

A sudden pat on the back had her look up into her Father's kind eyes.

"Nice going on the lifting though," he congratulated, flexing his bicep jokingly. "Looks like some of your old man's genes are coming through."

Marinette grinned and laughed nervously. She then flexed her own much smaller bicep back at him with a challenging smirk.

"Better watch out, or I'll be the man of the house," she laughed.

"Wow, you do have some muscles there," her Father noted, clearly impressed. "Gym class is going well I see."

Marinette took the time to examine her arm. It was more muscular than she had anticipated. The faint outlines of muscle structure were visible even without flexing. She hadn't noticed any differences before now.

"Hehe, yeah gym class…"

The next thing she knew she was scooped into one of her father's big bear hugs. His massive tree-trunk like arms wrapped around her and he planted a moustached kiss on the top of her head.

"Keep it up, Marinette," he said tenderly, giving her another squeeze. "Now off you pop, upstairs. It won't be long before you have to go to school. I can hold the fort down here for now."

"Thanks, Papa," Marinette hugged back, making him wheeze. "I'll see you soon!"

She ran back upstairs and into her room. Tikki fluttered down from near her bed.

"Tikki," Marinette quickly cried. "I think it's beginning to happen!"

"What's beginning to happen?" she asked, only to be surprised when Marinette took off her shirt. "Marinette?"

"Whoa," Marinette breathed, really looking at herself in her mirror. "I look… good."

Marinette had always had a little bit of flab around her stomach. Noticeable only to her when she was feeling self-conscious about her weight and health. A remnant of the times when she was too shy to properly make friends and Chloe's bullying words had seemingly followed her everywhere in life.

Now, like the Marinette that had existed back then, the flab was completely gone. Instead it had been replaced by a toned stomach that pulled taut over her midriff. Marinette gently ran her hands down her stomach and gasped.

"Tikki, I have abs!" she cried out, almost jumping up and down with glee. "I can feel them!"

They weren't quite visible, but just under her skin Marinette could feel the distinct shape of her hard-abdominal muscles.

"Wow, I'm actually fit!"

"You've been transforming almost every day to fight," Tikki reasoned. "No wonder your body has adapted so quickly."

"Maybe Chat was really on to something with patrolling," Marinette turned, observing herself in the mirror. "Wow, even from the back I look good. Is my butt bigger?"

Tikki giggled.

"That part is puberty. The muscles though are from being Ladybug. It's still too early for anything else though."

"Anything else?"

"Well, there are some side-effects to wielding the Miraculous," Tikki explained. "I did mention this before."

"What kind of side-effects?" Marinette asked cautiously. "It's nothing dangerous, is it?"

"Of course not," Tikki avoided her chosen's gaze. "It's just…"

"Just what Tikki?"

"You might find them a little… embarrassing…"

"Embarrassing?!" Marinette trilled, eyes wide. "What's going to happen to me?!"

"Think of it like a magical puberty," Tikki began.

Marinette's bottom lip wobbled.

"Nope!" she cried, making an 'X' with her arms. "Hard no! No second puberty please! I can barely deal with my periods as they are, I don't need any super-periods or anything! Alya told me she nearly fainted from bleeding once, I don't want to deal with worse!"

"You won't have to deal with any extra periods," Tikki said, barely holding back a laugh. "It's far less horrifying than that."

Marinette slowly lowered her arms and fixed Tikki with a look.

"I still don't like how you used that word."

"It's not horrifying, it's just that your behaviour will change a little," Tikki smiled. "It won't really be noticeable until the spring, so don't worry."

Marinette's face scrunched up.

"I don't like how vague you're being."

"The effects will become more pronounced over time," Tikki remarked, ignoring her chosen. "The more Hawkmoth attacks and the more you're forced to transform, the quicker they'll appear. So far he's been running you two ragged."

"Yeah," Marinette shivered. "That Piper guy was the worst one yet. I didn't know that mind control was possible."

"It is an insidious thing," Tikki said. "I cannot protect you from the effects of akumas. So, you have to be careful."

"It's just…" Marinette frowned, unsure how to admit this. "It's really scary."

"And that's why you must be brave," Tikki sat on her shoulder. "You're doing great so far. You've taken so much responsibility upon yourself."

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette smiled at her kwami, before her face fell. "But speaking of responsibility, Chat and I have decided to meet the mayor tonight. Oh, it's going to be awful!"

She pulled at her pigtails at the very thought of meeting the city's mayor.

"What's wrong with meeting the mayor?" Tikki asked. "He seems pretty nice on the TV."

"Yeah, but he's also Chloe's father," Marinette explained. "And I honestly can't think of a worse human being than her."

Marinette gave it a little more thought.

"Besides Hawkmoth..."

She thought a little more.

"…maybe."

"Just because his daughter is nasty doesn't mean he is," Tikki advised.

Marinette could hear the kwami take that tone of voice she always did whenever she was lecturing her.

"It isn't fair to judge people you haven't met just because of their relatives."

"It is when he's the one who raised her," Marinette muttered.

"Children can be different to their parents," Tikki added sternly.

"It's not just that he might be awful; it's what do I say to him to get him to trust us?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure you'll figure something out. You're an inspiring speaker, Marinette. Everyone heard you call out Hawkmoth. Just build up something from that!"

"Oh, what are we going to say? 'Hello sir, but we're the only ones who can stop Hawkmoth and save the city. Yes, I know we look like children, but you can definitely trust us!'"

With a final nervous groan, she fell face down onto her lounger. Tikki flittered above her, watching with amusement.

"Maybe I should let Chat do the talking," she stressed. "He's pretty charming. All the teenage girls seem to think so. Chloe is probably enamoured with him."

"Chat isn't always the most… tactful person," Tikki pointed out. "When speaking with authority figures it's important that you acknowledge their position and respect them accordingly, regardless of your opinion of them. Otherwise it'll sour negotiations."

Marinette sat up.

"Wow, that actually sounds really wise! Thanks, Tikki."

Tikki puffed up happily.

"You're welcome, Marinette. I have provided counsel to many different people. Don't let him intimidate you, but also show him respect. Make eye contact and don't back down from your position. We should also talk about your hands."

"My hands?" Marinette looked down at her digits with suspicion. "What about them?"

"When you get nervous you play with them," Tikki explained. "Usually around Adrien."

"A-Adrien's different!" Marinette claimed, turning bright red. "It's not like I have to talk to him."

"No, but the mayor will notice if you fidget and it will make you look unsure. You cannot afford to show weakness like this."

Marinette looked down and held her head in her hands.

"I'm nothing but weakness! This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?" she admitted. "The whole city will lose confidence in us and we'll be arrested by the police and Hawkmoth will take over the world!"

Tikki observed silently as the girl curled up on the lounger. She had known Marinette for over two weeks now. But despite this short period of time, the girl had shown immense bravery and was only growing in confidence in herself. Then the other day, the mind control akuma happened and she was suddenly second-guessing herself.

"Marinette, just because you got mind-controlled doesn't mean you're full of weakness."

"But it does!" Marinette replied. "I remember it all! I remember what it felt like being controlled and it felt amazing!"

Marinette breathed heavily as Tikki waited.

"It was like I had no more responsibilities or anything else to worry about," she continued, not daring to look Tikki in the eye. "He told me to do something and I did it happily. H-He told me to kill Chat and I didn't even hesitate! I-I thought it would be fun!"

Tikki waited calmly for her chosen to continue.

"I-I tried to kill him, Tikki. I tried to kill Chat."

"He forgave you."

"That doesn't make it right!" Marinette shot back and the room was silent.

Tikki flew down to land on Marinette's legs.

"Am I evil, Tikki?" Marinette asked. "Is there a part of me that wants my partner dead?"

"Do you believe that you're evil, Marinette?" Tikki questioned. "Would you kill Chat now?"

"No, never!"

"Then why would you hold yourself responsible for this? All humans are capable of evil, you and Chat Noir included. It's choosing not to do evil that makes you good. This akuma took that choice away from you. Mark my words, Marinette. No matter what it may have felt like, that akuma gave you no choice."

"Thanks, Tikki," she sniffed. "That really helps."

"Marinette, you are a remarkable person. You have much responsibility to bear as Ladybug and I won't lie, it will be extremely difficult. I chose you because I know that you have the strength to do this. If anyone could do it, the Miraculous wouldn't even be needed. Just keep on going and trust in yourself and your partner."

"I will," Marinette smiled slightly, before standing up proudly. "I will! We'll get the public on our side in no time!"

"That's better!" Tikki cheered.

"Yeah, what's Hawkmoth compared to me and Chat?! We can totally do this! He's never won before and he never will!"

"Excellent, now you may want to hurry up so you don't miss school."

Marinette screeched.

"My parents will be so mad if I'm late!" she said, grabbing her purse and schoolbag. "Let's go, Tikki!"

She opened the trap door and ran downstairs, even as Tikki screamed after her.

"Marinette, you forgot your shirt!"

* * *

"I mean it was like really good," Adrien repeated to Nino as they sat down in their seats in class. "Like, I've never had fish that good before."

"Wow, keep bragging about your rich guy food," Nino teased, leaning back in his seat as Adrien sputtered.

"It wasn't rich guy food… probably," Adrien conceded. "I've had loads of different fish before, but the one today was just amazing! I can't stop thinking about it."

"I noticed. Did your personal chef make it for you?" he added sarcastically with a grin.

"Yeah, why?" Adrien blinked innocently at him.

Nino held his best friend's oblivious gaze for a moment before cracking.

"Nothing dude," he snorted. "Of course, you have a personal chef. Maybe sneak a few things my way in the future?"

"Sure!" Adrien eyes seemed to sparkle. "I'll have him make lunches for both of us next time. I'll see if I can get that fish again."

"As long as I don't have to pay for it. Bros?"

"Bros!"

They bumped fists.

Behind them Alya was typing frantically on her phone. She was just finishing editing her latest article for the Ladyblog when the door opened and Marinette walked in.

"Well, well, well," Alya trilled. "Up at four in the morning and still nearly late for class."

"Helping the bakery took longer than it should have," Marinette slid into her seat next to her friend and leant her head on her arms. "Maman hurt her ankle so I had to help with the supplies and inventory."

"Damn, hashtag baker problems," Alya teased, poking Marinette playfully in the arm. "Don't fall asleep, I want to tell you something!"

Marinette made a noise very similar to a dying cat.

"Don't wake me," she hissed. "Need… sleep…."

"But I've got something to tell you," Alya sang. "My siblings are going over to their friend's house for a party tomorrow, which means they won't be bothering me at home."

"So?"

"So?!" Alya continued. "We can totally have a sleepover! I've got so many shows that you need to watch. Like wow, you have no idea what you've been missing!"

"I'd love to!" Marinette shot bolt upright. "I'd have to ask my parents, though."

"That's fine girl, just ask them during lunch today," Alya said. "I was also thinking of inviting Juleka and Rose. Maybe Mylene and Alix as well if they're available."

"Th-that's great," Marinette said. "I didn't know you knew them so well."

"Well I don't," Alya admitted. "But what better way to get to know your classmates than with a big sleepover?"

"Oh, I never really thought of it like that…"

Alya put an arm around Marinette's shoulders, squeezing their cheeks together.

"Don't you worry your cute little head about it," Alya declared. "I'll sort it all out. Just let me know by the end of lunch if you can make it."

"Alright," Marinette smiled. "I will."

Adrien listened to all of this with a frown. The girls were all going to have a sleepover tomorrow to become better friends with one another.

"Hey, Nino," Adrien whispered. "We should have a boy's sleepover and get to the others."

Nino raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, I know you're home-schooled, but you must realise that guys don't really do that sort of thing."

"Why not?" Adrien asked.

"…we just don't," Nino said, folding his arms behind his head. "Anyway, I've been in class with most of the guys here since kindergarten. We know each other well enough."

Adrien frowned.

"Then how do we get to know each other better?"

Nino gestured vaguely.

"Parties, sporting events; that sort of thing. I wouldn't worry about it really, we're only a couple of weeks into school. You've got plenty of time."

Adrien looked down contemplatively at the desk. Maybe he was being too hasty. It had only been two weeks after all. But he joined school solely to make friends inside his own age group. Yet so far, all he had managed was one, Nino. Was that normal or was he lagging behind?

Before he could think about it any further, the door opened and Miss Bustier entered the room.

"Settle down class, phones away," Miss Bustier declared as she marched towards her desk. "Alya, that means you."

Behind their teacher, ten older teenagers followed her in and stood by the front desk in a neat line.

"You have less than two years before you'll be in Lycée," Miss Bustier explained. "So, it's important that you all should start to think about which of the streams you'll be wanting to enter."

Adrien immediately sat up straighter. Provided his father continued to allow him to attend public school, it was important that he understood his future subject choices. So far, as he understood it, each stream specialised in different subjects such as sciences, literature or economics.

Miss Bustier gestured towards the older students.

"These Premerie students will be going around and answering any questions you may all have about the courses and what will be expected from you. Each of them is a representative of their respective stream and will give advice for that stream specifically. Feel free to ask them about their experiences and the weighing of their subjects."

With another gesture, the older students dispersed amongst the younger ones, each calling out their respective course.

Adrien was considering going into the sciences stream, although perhaps it might be wiser to keep his options open for the moment? Before he could deliberate further, the girl who was representing the sciences stream came up to his table and pulled up a chair next to him.

"So, you're Adrien Agreste?" she asked brightly, leaning slightly closer than Adrien felt was strictly appropriate. "I'm Cynthia Gagnon. It is a pleasure to meet someone as handsome as you."

Adrien felt his heart fall at these words. It was giving him flashbacks of his first day all over again. Of all those people crowding him with curious and star-struck gazes. Of course, this particular student's gaze seemed somehow more… hungry.

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you too?" he grinned, trying to make subtle eye contact with Nino.

Adrien didn't know if it was possible to communicate 'help' with just a look, but he was desperately trying. His so-called best friend, took one look at the enamoured older girl and immediately beelined for somewhere else.

'Don't go, please!' Adrien begged silently. 'You snake, Nino! What happened to being 'bros'? You'll never get a fish lunch out of me!'

The older student put her hand delicately over his.

"So, are you thinking of joining the sciences stream?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "I'd be happy to have you."

"Err…" Adrien stalled. "Don't you mean 'we' would be happy?"

"I don't think they'd appreciate you as much as I would," she said, voice low, as she placed her other hand on his leg. "No, I'm certain of it, hot stuff."

Adrien blushed.

'This girl is forward!' he panicked.

He was a famous teenage model, so being hit on wasn't exactly a rare occurrence. Of course, since his father never really let him talk with other people his age, he had limited experience personally interacting with his fangirls. Usually he'd just smile and wave as he was ushered into the limo and nothing would really come of any proclamations of love or pleas for dates.

Of course, that option was not open in this situation. Here in school there was no bodyguard to deter touching. There was no security perimeter or getaway vehicle. Here he was vulnerable.

As Adrien floundered, on the other end of the room Marinette was attempting to choose between the two streams she was considering. Unlike Adrien, she knew what she wanted to do in life. She was born to be a fashion designer.

Of course, she couldn't just study fashion as a subject. She needed to choose the stream that would make her look best to potential universities for studying fashion.

She approached the student who was taking the stream she wanted. He had just finished talking to Nathaniel, leaving just her and the student in that corner of the room.

The Premerie student had a short, yet attenuated figure with curt black hair and dark brown eyes. His eyes swept over Marinette like he was drinking her in.

"Well hello there," he smiled widely, his eyes lighting up. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm just wondering whether this stream is right for me," she began. "I'm looking to go into fashion design, so I was wondering if you would recommend it?"

"Why of course, my dear," he responded. "I myself am looking to go into fashion, though not as a model like I'm sure you're thinking."

Marinette chuckled.

"Well that's good," she added. "Do you know of how much the economics part of the course weighs compared to the rest?"

He gave her a smile and gestured for her to sit down next to him. She complied as he began to talk about the course and how much certain subjects would count. As she continued to ask him questions he moved closer and closer. Then he put his arm around her.

"I mean, I am quite athletic," he boasted. "I'm captain of the school swimming team, after all. If you ever want to go swimming, I'll be happy to show you the ropes."

"Err, yeah," Marinette said, suddenly standing up as if suddenly realising she had better things to do. "I have no more questions, I'll see you later. Thank you for your time."

She tried to move away only for him to grab her wrist.

"Wait! Can I just say that you're very pretty?"

"Err, thank you?" Marinette responded. "That's nice of you to say."

"If you're interested, me and some friends always hang out after school at a nearby coffee shop, you're welcome to come along."

"Um, thank you," Marinette answered, tugging her hand out of his. "I'm flattered but I'm really not interested. Thank you for the offer, though."

His eyes narrowed and followed her figure as she walked away back to her seat and near Adrien. Still looking for an escape, Adrien's eyes lit up upon seeing her approach.

"Marinette!" he called, trying not to sound desperate. "You're interested in sciences as well, right? Don't you have any questions for Cynthia here?"

Marinette felt her breath leave her body and a warm fluttery sensation replaced it. She stood there paralysed as both Adrien looked at her expectantly and Cynthia looked like she could crush nuts between her grinding teeth.

Of course, not that Marinette had even noticed the older student.

'Adrien talked to me!' a part of Marinette's brain wouldn't stop squealing. 'He's talking to me! Quick say something back so he doesn't think you're an idiot!'

"Aarghblm… h-hi, A-Adrien!" she squeaked out. "I mean I like your eyes… I mean what's up?"

Adrien blinked, like he couldn't quite understand what he heard. He hadn't really talked properly with Marinette since he gave her his umbrella and apologised for the whole gum incident. She hadn't explicitly said that she'd forgiven him, but she wasn't shooting him angry glares all the time like she used to.

"Um, Cynthia here was just telling me about how great the science stream was," Adrien said, with the doomed countenance of someone who had escaped the wolves only to run straight into a tiger. "D-do you have any questions you want to ask her?"

Adrien, despite his lack of relative social experience, tried to silently communicate his need to Marinette.

'Help!' his expression screamed. 'Make something up, please help me so this girl will be forced to leave me alone! I beg of you, please!'

Of course, Marinette didn't notice a darn thing.

'He's so kind, always thinking about what I might want…' Marinette's inner monologue continued, as she stared lovingly into his beautiful eyes. 'Oh, Adrien…'

"Well if you don't have any questions," Cynthia said dismissively, waving Marinette away. "Just leave me and my adorable little scientist here to our date."

'To our date,' the words echoed in Marinette's paralysed mind. 'To our date.'

To our date.

Our date

Date.

"You're dating?!" Marinette screeched loudly.

The entire room came to a halt. Marinette felt her face burn red as everyone in the room became silent and turned towards them.

"What?!" an even shriller voice came in.

"Oh no," Adrien mumbled, knowing immediately who that was and what was about to happen.

The entire classroom practically gave way. The full wrath of Chloe Bourgeois descended upon the older girl, like a meteor upon a small town.

She pushed Marinette out of the way without a second thought.

"Get out of my way, Mari-trash!" she sneered, before taking in the older girl.

She scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

"Spreading rumours about my Adrikins?!" Chloe sneered, getting right in the older girl's face. "How dare you! There is no way he'd date someone as gaudy as you! He's saving himself for me!"

"Excuse me?!" the older girl stood up, leaning over Chloe. "Who do you think you are?!"

Adrien carefully grabbed Marinette's wrist and carefully snuck away as the two girls argued loudly with one another.

"I am the Mayor's daughter!" Chloe shrieked as they closed the door behind them and ran down the hallway.

"That was, wow," Adrien murmured, still holding a bright red Marinette's hand. "Thanks, Marinette, you're a lifesaver."

"Huh?" Marinette blinked up at him.

"I mean, causing a distraction like that was genius," he continued. "That girl was being super forward. It's really irritating when people try to get dates like that just because I'm famous."

They weren't together? Oh, thank god. Thank the gods, how could Marinette have competed with such an older, more mature girl like that?

"Oh, right!" Marinette agreed, nodding rapidly. "Y-y-you're welcome! You're super welcome!"

Adrien laughed a little awkwardly, before rubbing the back of his head. Marinette watched with stars in her eyes.

"I'm just happy you don't hate me."

"H-hate you?!" Marinette flailed. "Why would I hate you?"

How could Adrien think that she hated him? This was a disaster! Had she been too forward like that girl? Had she put him off? Would he never like her? Now he would think she was a creep and take out a restraining order against her. She was going to die alone in a jail cell!

"For the gum thing, you know?"

Oh. Marinette managed to calm her panicking mind.

"That's way in the past!" she dismissed, blushing madly. "But I do have something I want to say."

"What is it, Marinette?"

She gathered a deep breath. This was it. She was alone with her crush. These past two weeks were all leading up to this. She was Ladybug dammit! She could tell her crush that she liked him.

"I lo… I lo… I like you!"

She screwed her eyes shut as her heat hammered like a massive drum.

"You do?" Adrien's eyes sparkled.

Marinette cautiously opened her eyes to look up into Adrien's gorgeous shining orbs.

"So, this means we're friends then?" he asked hopefully as her heart fell.

'No! That's not what I want to say!' Marinette screamed internally. 'I want to be more than that! Just tell him!'

"Y-y-yeah," she stammered, like a coward. "Totally friends! I like you so much in a totally platonic and friendly manner. Friendship is great, ha-ha!"

'I suck,' she lamented silently.

"That's excellent!" Adrien beamed. "I'm so happy; I have two friends now!"

Then he put his arms around her in a giant hug and squeezed her tightly. Marinette hung there for a moment, her heart just about exploding out of her chest. Her chest that was currently being pushed against his.

'I think this is what heaven feels like,' she contemplated, her face somehow growing even redder. 'Wow, he's got a nice chest… No, those are bad thoughts, Marinette. Stay pure!'

Alas it was not to last. Adrien let her go and looked a bit bashful.

"Sorry, that might have been a bit inappropriate," he admitted. "I may have got a bit excited."

"So did I…"

"What?"

"NOTHING!" she smiled innocently, hands behind her back. "I'll around see you- I mean I'll see you around, Adrien!"

She quickly darted away, leaving Adrien alone in the hallway. He felt so relieved. A part of him was worried that Marinette still hated him, but instead she was willing to be friends with him. He had made another friend.

Two weeks in and he had two new friends. Nino, his best friend, and now Marinette, a little shy but a fearsome person when she wanted to be.

His birthday was coming up soon. Maybe he could convince his father to celebrate it this year?

Adrien walked away, unaware of the jealous gaze that had seen the whole thing.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Marinette said goodbye to Alya and left the school practically skipping.

"A sleepover, Tikki!" Marinette squealed, looking into her purse. "Alya invited me to a sleepover! And all the other girls are going to be there!"

"That's great, Marinette!"

"And Adrien talked to me!" she continued, blush burning bright on her face. "He hugged me! He called me his friend!"

"And you actually talked back! Great job!"

"This has been such a good day," Marinette concluded. "If Adrien thinks we're friends that means we can hang out together! Then we'll get married and live together! Then we'll have kids and a hamster!"

"You might be missing some steps there," Tikki pointed out. "Don't forget you're meeting Chat later this evening."

"I know! But I'm just so happy, Tikki!" Marinette bounced along the sidewalk. "Adrien likes me! And I've never been invited to a sleepover before! Let alone one that everyone is going to! I might actually make more friends this year!"

"I'm happy for you, Marinette," the kwami spoke. "It's important to balance out your life with your duties as Ladybug."

"Thanks, Tikki. I've got to do some shopping though. Alya wants to meet me at the mall to get some cute pyjamas for the sleepover. She just had to help her parents with something, so we're meeting there."

Tikki suddenly darted back into her purse.

"Huh, Tikki?"

"Marinette?"

Marinette turned to see Adrien walking up to her, a beautiful smile on his face. Immediately, her face grew redder and her palms sweatier. Her heat beat faster in her chest in the hopes that just maybe he might hug her again.

"H-h-hey, Adrien!" she managed, waving. "W-w-what are you doing here?"

"Nothing much," he answered, smiling softly. "But then I saw you walking here so I thought I'd come over. You know, see my good friend."

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat.

Now she was a 'good' friend?! That can't be too many steps away from girlfriend, can it?

"Where are you heading?" Adrien asked, slipping his larger arm through hers.

'Calm down, calm down, calm down,' she repeated to herself, feeling the temperature rise. 'Our arms are connected, wow, that's quite a bit of muscle, he must work out, work out without a shirt- no, think pure thoughts, Marinette. Pure thoughts!'

"J-j-j-just shopping with Alya," Marinette answered, a hand over her rapidly beating heart to stop herself from combusting.

"That sounds lovely," he responded, interlocking his hand with hers.

Marinette's mind went completely blank at the realisation she was holding hands with Adrien. Her face went from mere blushing to full-on tomato within seconds.

"However, I have a better suggestion," he continued, stopping them by a nearby shop. "Why don't you have coffee with me here?"

Marinette was barely able to believe her ears. He wanted to have coffee with her? Like a date!?

"B-but Alya is expecting me," she protested, turning towards him. "I-I can't just stand her up."

Adrien cupped her face with his other hand. Suddenly Marinette's ability to hold a conversation took a nosedive. His hands were so big and strong yet so tender and very warm on her face. Although not as warm as her face must have currently been.

"Please, Marinette?" he pleaded with such an utterly adorable look on his face. "For me?"

"O-o-ok, just a quick coffee!"

He broke into a stunning smile.

"Thanks, Marinette."

He let go of her face (boo!) but kept holding her hand (yay!) and led her into the coffee shop. Marinette texted Alya that she'd be a little bit late and that she'd explain when she got there. They ordered their coffees and sat down at a nearby table.

'Ok, you're in a coffee shop with Adrien Agreste,' Marinette analysed, holding onto her chair. 'He says he considers you a good friend, but that doesn't mean the door is closed! I can do this! I can tell him!'

"So, gorgeous," Adrien began, leaning in. "How have you been?"

Marinette practically melted into her seat. This was happening, this was really happening! She was having coffee with Adrien. Just the two of them. And he called her 'gorgeous'!

"G-g-g-g-great," Marinette stammered, unable to stop herself from smiling like a lunatic. "How-how are you?"

Adrien gave her a sultry smile that made her heart literally skip a beat.

"I'm doing very well now that you're here with me."

'Calm down Marinette, calm down!' she thought as the temperature skyrocketed. 'Act normal, this is your chance! He's flirting with you! Say something witty back!'

"Y-y-y-your hair's nice," she slurred, before clamping up.

'Good job.'

"Thank you," he said giving her a smolder. "But it can't compare to yours, I'm afraid."

It was a good thing Marinette was sitting down. She didn't think her legs could lift her right now.

"Opfff juasta sasrsf," Marinette babbled, before taking a deep breath. "Y-you're just saying that, heh-heh."

"Nonsense," Adrien replied, his face still so utterly delectable. "You're the apple of my eye, Marinette."

Before she could even think to respond, a young waiter came over with the two coffees. He put her down on the table in front of her but just as he was putting the other down he slipped. With a crash, the waiter fell and the coffee was split all over the table and floor.

Marinette stood up immediately and helped the waiter back up.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright? None of it got on you, did it?" she asked rapidly as the waiter shook his head.

"You idiot!" Adrien snarled, standing up. "You got some on my jeans! The service here is disgraceful!"

"My apologies, sir," the waiter practically grovelled. "The coffees are on the house."

"That's not enough, do you know how much these jeans cost?! More than you make in a year!"

"Adrien!" Marinette yelled, utterly shocked. "Ignore him, please."

"No Madame, it's fine," the waiter insisted as he quickly started to mop up the coffee.

"And bring me another," Adrien ordered. "Right now! And it had better be better than this pigswill!"

"Y-y-yes, sir!" the waiter stammered, quickly standing up to leave.

"No, you don't need to do that," Marinette spoke up, a look of fury on her face. "You can have mine, Adrien."

"Fine, get her another," Adrien began, before Marinette interrupted him.

"I won't be having another, I'm leaving," she stated, grabbing her purse and marching out of the door.

"M-Marinette!" Adrien called after her.

Marinette ignored him as she stomped down the pavement. She barely managed to get a block before Adrien caught up.

"Where are you going?" he demanded. "I thought we were getting coffee."

"We were getting coffee," Marinette responded, stopping and turning towards him. "Then you had to act like that."

"What? To the waiter?"

"Yes, to the waiter. That was completely uncalled for! Are you having like a really bad day or something?!"

"No!" Adrien answered angrily, stepping closer towards her. "It's just being assertive, that's what a man does. People will walk all over you if you don't just take what you want!"

"Take what you want?!" Marinette repeated angrily, before sighing. "I'm sorry, Adrien, but I was wrong. Wrong about the kind of person I thought you were. I don't want to be friends with you, I don't even want to look at you right now. You are just like Chloe."

With that, ignoring the heartbreak and betrayal, she turned around and walked away. Adrien snarled and grabbed her wrist.

Before Marinette could react, he had spun her around and planted his lips on her. She stood there stunned for a moment as he kissed her, before she raised her fist.

Adrien staggered back from the force of the punch, clutching his cheek in agony.

"You creep!" Marinette yelled, wiping her lips in disgust. "I ought to report you to-,"

That's where she stopped. Where an angry and punched Adrien should have stood was something she did not expect. Adrien's whole face had shifted to the left of his head from the force of the blow. Skin turned into a purple pulsating mass around his face, like a veil of flesh had been lifted. And underneath that face, where Adrien's face had just been, was another face.

"You shouldn't have done that," both voices spoke, Adrien's and another deeper one.

"Well then…" Marinette turned and bolted.

"Get back here, Marinette!" the thing spoke, running after her. "You will be mine!"

'Crap, crap, crap!' Marinette thought as she sprinted through the streets.

It was mid-autumn and already the light was fading. There were less people in the streets, which made losing her pursuer far harder.

"Marinette!" he called out angrily.

'I need to slip away and transform,' she realised, running further and further away from the main centre of Paris. 'I can give him the slip in all these alleys!'

She turned and twisted and twined down the alleyways of Paris, then she hit an alley with a dead-end.

Two seconds later, Not-Adrien entered the empty alley.

He smirked, drawing himself up to his full height. His appearance had been fixed so he looked just like Adrien once again as he surveyed the alley. Smooth brick walls framed either side with a lone dumpster as the only object in the alley.

"Marinette…" he called, slowly walking forwards. "I know you're in here. This is the only way out."

He approached the nearby dumpster, the only place she could be hiding.

"If you just agree to be with me, I'll leave you alone," he cooed, a smile on his face as he swaggered towards the dumpster. "If you're polite I might even be gentle."

He grabbed the lid and held it.

"How long are you going to hide in there, Marinette?" he chuckled, before opening the dumpster.

It was empty.

He blinked. Then he felt a tapping on his shoulder.

He turned, and was greeted with a spotted fist to the face.

The akuma was knocked to the ground and skidded along, before righting himself. His face was once again covered in that strange purple goo, which quickly began to reform back into Adrien's face.

"Ladybug!" he hissed, looking up at the proud superhero. "Where's Marinette? Where'd you put her?"

"She's safe and on her way home," Ladybug responded, her face betraying no emotion.

She cracked her knuckles menacingly.

"Lucky she ran into me, huh? Well, lucky for me, not so much for you."

"I'll just take your Miraculous then go after her again!" Not-Adrien grinned. "I can be anyone, anything! She'll never see it coming!"

"Anyone?" Ladybug raised her eyebrow.

Before her eyes, the form of Adrian was reduced to purple goo. It shrunk a little, formed wider hips, longer hair and a small bust, before colour began to appear. Ladybug's eyes widened as within seconds, a perfect image of Marinette stood in front of her.

"Anyone," her own voice repeated with an evil sneer Ladybug was sure had never graced her face. "Man, woman, animal, it doesn't matter! I am Shapeshifter, the whole world of people are my playthings!"

"You are such a creep," Ladybug responded.

Shapeshifter growled.

"Why do girls keep saying that?"

"I can't imagine."

Shapeshifter was once more covered in purple goo and became Adrien once again.

"It's so much easier getting girls with this body though," he boasted with Adrien's voice, idly admiring Adrien's arms. "You really are such simple creatures. I didn't even get the time of day as myself, but this guy could have gone the whole way! Ugly guys like me don't have a chance unless we're literally supermodels, am I right?"

"Ugly is too polite for what you are," Ladybug growled, taking out her yo-yo. "Prepare to be purified."

Shapeshifter grinned as his left arm turned purple and extended into a wicked-looking blade.

"Let's dance."

He lunged forwards as Ladybug jumped up high. He buried his blade straight into the ground as she roundhouse kicked him in the face. He slammed into the sidewall and fell to the floor. The kick had reduced half his face into the goo.

Ladybug smirked at him. He growled and the goo reformed once more into Adrien's snarling face.

With a growl, he charged again. Ladybug jumped as he skewered the dumpster behind her. As she descended on him again, he grinned. With a mighty heave, he turned and hurled the dumpster at her.

It slammed into her hard enough to knock her higher into the air and far out of the alleyway. Shapeshifter leapt after, spurred on by Hawkmoth's voice in his head.

Ladybug quickly let loose her yo-yo and hooked onto a nearby chimney. She managed to control her fall and landed on a nearby rooftop. Shapeshifter landed on another.

Her eyes scanned him, trying to identify in what item the akuma might be lurking. There, that ring on his right hand! That was the only accessory that he had! It had to be in there!

The only problem was how to get it.

"Is this all you have, Ladybug?!" he hollered. "I was expecting more from Paris' resident superhero!"

"There's more than one superhero," she responded calmly. "Even if you do beat me, you'll have to deal with Chat Noir as well."

"Oh, that won't be hard," Shapeshifter claimed, idly examining his nails. "I'll just transform into you and stab him through the back!"

He cackled as she snarled.

"You won't even get close!"

Ladybug leapt towards him, extending her yo-yo to the side. Shapeshifter grinned as he soared towards her, blade extended to tear her apart.

He thrust just as she was pulled away into a wide arc by her weapon. He landed on the other roof, just in time for her to come around and give him two boots to the face.

Ladybug flipped and jumped off the roof to reach him once again as he flew back from her kick. With a roar of pure fury, she punched him in the stomach repeatedly. Then slammed him down back to the streets below.

Shapeshifter righted himself in mid-air and slammed into the street hard enough to crack it. People scattered as they realised Ladybug was fighting an akuma.

'I can't lose sight of him,' Ladybug noted as she surveyed his purple goo slowly returning to Adrien's form. 'He might try to shapeshift and get the drop on me.'

She landed and leapt at him, her yo-yo spinning. He charged as well and drew his blade back to stab. Ladybug ducked low and slid between his legs to avoid his stab. Her yo-yo wrapped around his legs and with a pull brought him down onto the ground.

Ladybug jumped on top of his back and wrestled the ring off his hand.

"Yes!" she cried out, palming the ring and jumping away from his retaliatory strike.

She crushed the ring in her palm, but no butterfly appeared.

"What?" she wondered, opening her hand. "Why didn't it appear?"

She barely dodged the needle-thin spike that shot out of her open hand and towards her face. It grazed her cheek, leaving a stinging cut.

She threw the spike to the ground, where it turned to purple goo on the floor.

"It's part of his disguise," Ladybug realised. "So, where's the real akuma hiding?"

Shapeshifter laughed cruelly. It wasn't the sort of sound that Adrien's voice should make. Ladybug grit her teeth. There was no other item. How was she going to beat him?

"Now would be a great time for Chat Noir to appear," she muttered.

"Now do you realise how outmatched you are?" Shapeshifter asked, a creepy grin on Adrien's otherwise handsome face. "You're gonna die here, Ladybug!"

She threw her yo-yo upwards.

"Lucky Char-,"

"Aargh!" Shapeshifter lunged, slamming his blade into her stomach.

Ladybug screamed as she was thrown backwards and into a nearby wall. She felt pain in her stomach, but her suit hadn't been pierced.

'Thank god it's indestructible,' she praised, before ducking as he slashed the wall where her head was.

She rolled and kicked out at his leg, sending him down onto a knee.

'I need to retreat and think of a plan!' Ladybug darted away, the akuma on her tail.

"Get back here you annoying insect!" Shapeshifter yelled, coming after her.

Ladybug flitted through a nearby alleyway only to be forced to stop. She was at the Seine. The mighty river flowed in high tide right in front of her, with only a thin metal railing between them.

"Looks like there's nowhere for you to run," Shapeshifter chuckled, approaching slowly. "Give me your Miraculous and I'll only hurt you a little."

Ladybug stood tall and proud. She spun her yo-yo like a helicopter blade.

"Come and get it."

With an angry bellow, he charged at her. Ladybug's yo-yo slammed against his blade. Sparks flew as the two pushed against one another. Her muscles strained as the akuma slowly pushed her backwards towards the river.

'There's got to be a way to win!' she repeated to herself. 'There has to be a weakness!'

With a cry, she pushed upwards and knocked his blade away. She sent her yo-yo straight into his face which knocked him backwards.

He landed on the concrete bank. Immediately he jumped to his feet as Ladybug descended upon him once again.

Shapeshifter slashed at her, but she slipped over his blade and slammed a leg into his half-formed face. He staggered again as Ladybug landed in front of him in a crouch.

He roared, bringing his blade down on her, only to destroy the metal railing keeping them from the river as she darted under his weapon and into his guard.

She punched him in the stomach, head, legs and arms, anywhere she could reach. Repeatedly she hit him, deforming him to the point he no longer had any of Adrien's features and was simply covered in that purple goo.

Ladybug panted, fists still raised at the now purple humanoid in front of her. She had been hitting him so hard she could see the imprints of her fists all across his twitching now-featureless body.

Then the purple goo bubbled.

She leapt back as razor sharp spikes erupted from his form, coming within an inch of hitting her. She was right by the edge of the bank. Any further and she'd fall into the river.

The spikes retracted into Shapeshifter, who quickly returned to Adrien's form.

"Ha-ha-ha!" he laughed like a lunatic, stretching Adrien's face unnaturally. "I don't even feel your puny blows! How has anyone lost to you?!"

Ladybug panted, her mind going a mile a minute. There had to be a way. There must be a way to win!

'I can't hurt him and there's no akumatized item,' she thought. 'How can I win?'

'Wait,' it struck her suddenly.

When she hit him as Marinette and caught him off-guard, there had been another face underneath all the rubber-like sludge. Whenever he changed his appearance, it was the sludge that changed! When she took the ring off, it had just been that sludge as well!

'That's why I can't hurt him. That's not his body,' she realised suddenly. 'The real body of the real akuma is underneath all the purple sludge! It's just covering him! Which also means the item is underneath the sludge as well!'

Re-energized by her discovery, Ladybug smirked.

'And I've just figured out how to get him to uncover himself.'

"What's with that smile?" Shapeshifter asked, stepping forwards cautiously. "You planning something?"

"Of course, I'm smiling," Ladybug grinned, fiddling with her yo-yo behind her back. "I just figured out how to beat you."

Shapeshifter laughed.

"That's rich! You've barely been staying alive so far. Now you suddenly think you can beat me?" Adrien's face grew dark. "I'll carve you up then go after Marinette!"

He leapt towards her, only for her to leap to the side and then he realised his mistake. The part of the railing he had destroyed now had her yo-yo string criss-crossing between the poles like a spider-web.

And he was falling right into it.

The unbreakable string wrapped around him, pinning his hands to his sides. Ladybug's arms wrapped around him from behind.

"We're going for a dive!" she cheered as the two plummeted downwards into the Seine. Water covered them both as Shapeshifter struggled against his bonds. He needed to breathe, he couldn't breathe!

Swimming to the surface as best he could, he broke through the water, the purple sludge sliding off him as he tried to breathe.

"Damn it, that was close!" he panted.

"Oh, look at that," Ladybug said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder from behind. "Looks like you need to breathe after all. Can't protect yourself and breathe at the same time, huh?"

Without the sludge covering his head, she could clearly see that the akuma was that older student who had asked her for coffee earlier that day.

The look of utter panic as he realised he was unprotected made her day.

'For tricking me, kissing me and pretending to be Adrien…'

Ladybug raised her other hand and slowly curled it into a fist. Shapeshifter paled as he took in shaky breath after shaky breath, his eyes locked onto her fist.

"Please… don't…"

Her fist hit his face hard enough he saw stars. Then she rapidly punched him again and again. Keeping a firm hold of his shoulder she used his face as a punching bag for a few more seconds before with a final attack, she knocked him back into the water.

"Alright, now just got to find the item," Ladybug said, pulling the still-wrapped akuma back to the surface.

Rows upon rows of teeth erupted from the guy's hand, forcing her back. Ladybug barely had time to react before she saw fins and the yo-yo slipped off him.

Then he was gone.

Ladybug leapt out of the water and onto the bank. She surveyed left and right, looking for any sign of the akuma.

"He swam away," she realised. "He shapeshifted into a shark and swam away."

She waited a bit longer. Longer than anyone could possibly have held their breath and still there was no sign of him.

"He got away!" Ladybug angrily stamped her foot and pouting. "He just ran away! Now what do I do?"

Her cheek still stung from the cut and her stomach and back hurt from being slammed into a brick wall.

"Oh no, Alya!" Ladybug panicked. "I forgot about her! She's still waiting for me!"

Nobody was around, so she hurried into a nearby alley and transformed back. Marinette felt the aches far more acutely.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she went as Tikki looked at the cut on her face.

"I can help heal this, though it will take some time," Tikki declared. "Luckily no one was around to see Ladybug get this injury."

"Sorry, Tikki," Marinette said. "He got away."

"And why did he get away?"

"Um… because he shapeshifted into a shark?"

"No, Marinette," there was nothing worse than Tikki's disappointed tone. "Because you settled for beating him up rather than looking for the item. You had him, but then threw the chance away."

"But he kissed me!" Marinette protested. "I was so angry at him. He deserved to get hit!"

"It's not up to us to decide what people deserve, but even so that boy is innocent," Tikki answered sternly. "He is a victim, just like anyone who has been possessed by an akuma."

"But…"

"Marinette, it's important that you don't lose sight of that," Tikki continued. "Ladybug is a force for good, she does not go around maiming innocents."

"I was protecting myself!" Marinette protested. "He literally held me down and kissed me. I'm not going to just take it!"

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about how in the water you focused on hurting him as Ladybug rather than finding the item and taking it."

Marinette threw her hands up, utterly fed up. Her cheek stung, her front and back hurt a lot, and worst of all she still had stuff to do today. Alya would be disappointed and there was a shapeshifter after her, who could be anybody.

"I just- I don't want to deal with this right now, Tikki!"

She checked her phone. She had several missed calls and texts from Alya.

"And now Alya's going to be upset! Stupid Akumas!" Marinette cursed, stamping her foot in anger again.

"We'll discuss this later, you should go apologise to Alya."

"I will."

Marinette took one last look at the river. The Shapeshifter was out there somewhere and he would likely still be targeting her civilian self.

"Good grief," she sighed, slinging her bag across her shoulder. "At least today can't get any worse."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you all thought of the latest chapter. As well as anyways to improve. Were the chapters too long or too short? Were any parts boring or some parts not developed enough? Let me know what you thought!**

 **Responses to reviews:**

 **Rosalind2013:** Thank you very much! I'm glad I was able to subvert your expectations like that! I've tried to loosen up the serious tone for this chapter though, whilst still keeping it like the show.

 **fairydaisypou:** Thank so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Fredrick Jones:** Glad you're a fan! I'm in a bit of a creative rut at the moment, so I'm trying to experiment with a new fandom to try and bring something out of me. I'm glad you appreciate the more realistic tone.

 **Daisy Rhine:** Thanks for your kind words! I really appreciate them.

 **Saico:** Thank you! There are less glamorous parts of being a superhero and it's how they deal with them that makes them good characters. I hope you found the problems in this chapter just as interesting!

 **Mythril Moth:** If you're still reading, that is not what this story is about. I seem to have given you the wrong impression. The tone is not particularly dark, nor will they be hunted down as superheroes. If you're still reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if not oh well. I hope you pick it back up at a later date.

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Any suggestions or improvements I would be happy to hear them!**

 **Take care.**


	4. Chapter 4: What They Seem

**A/N: Thanks so much for your positive feedback so far! I'm really happy you're all enjoying it!  
**

 **Chapter Summary:** Ladybug and Chat Noir talk to the mayor and come to an agreement. Meanwhile, Alya's sleepover gets underway, but the Shapeshifter is still out there somewhere plotting something...

* * *

 **What they Seem**

The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon and it plastered the clear sky with a plethora of warming pinks and reds. From his perch, Chat Noir hummed to himself as he played with the functions on his baton. His legs kicked idly as they dangled over the ledge of the high-rise he was sitting on.

He was due to meet Ladybug here any minute now. Of course, he had arrived about thirty minutes earlier than they had agreed. His last photoshoot of the day had finished far earlier than expected and so Chat had decided to arrive early in the hope that she would be early as well.

Since they had started patrolling together, he had felt himself falling even more in love with her than before. Her stubbornness and her strong will were what attracted him to her initially, but now he could see her kindness in every little thing she did. How she always thought of others, including him, and genuinely, passionately believed in their role as superheroes.

She had been utterly distraught at how she had hurt him whilst being controlled by that akuma and wouldn't stop apologising. It wasn't like it mattered much. Chat felt far worse about the cuts he had given her. After all, she had been brainwashed to fight him, yet he had been in full control of his own actions.

Either way, thanks to Plagg's magic, all but the worst bruises had faded, which left him looking like his usual model self. There were still some small injuries, but nothing Ladybug would be able to see.

"Maybe she'll bring cupcakes again," he wondered idly, glancing at his baton again. "That would be nice."

He could see the little Ladybug symbol moving steadily closer towards his location. Behind him his tail whipped around excitedly. She was almost on top of him!

Chat quickly stood up and brushed off any dirt. He licked his palm and flattened his hair to no effect and preened as the familiar whirr of her yo-yo greeted his ears. Ladybug landed only a few feet away from him, straightening up to give him an odd look.

"Good evening, my lady," Chat began with a smile and a bow. "I hope the sight of my purr-fect face will soothe your day."

She gave him a guarded look and his smile slowly faded.

"My lady?"

It was then he noticed the bleeding cut across her cheek.

"My lady, you're hurt!"

"Chat," she began hesitantly, holding an arm out to stop him approaching. "How did we first meet?"

"What?" he frowned.

"Answer the question," she insisted, her right hand still holding her yo-yo. "How did we first meet?"

Confused, Chat thought back to that day. As if he could ever forget meeting her. That whole debacle was etched into his memory like carved stone.

"Um… you crashed into me and tied us both up in your yo-yo string."

Ladybug visibly relaxed.

"Alright, it's you," she said, coming closer. "That's good. I was worried, but it never hurts to check."

"Check what? Check if I forgot how an angel such as you fell into my life?" he asked, before putting his arm to his forehead. "I'm shocked! Scandalized that you'd ever think I could forget the moment you first blessed me with your graceful presence."

Ladybug rolled her eyes as he took her hand and kissed it.

"You're a real character," she muttered, leaning her head on his chest in exhaustion. "You're definitely you, that's for sure."

"It's me? Why wouldn't I be me?" he questioned, tilting her chin up to get a better look at the cut. "How did you cut yourself like that?"

He frowned.

"Do I have to beat someone up?"

"Akuma," Ladybug answered, almost collapsing on top of him. "I'm exhausted."

"There was an akuma and I didn't know?!" Chat panicked. "I'm really sorry!"

"Chat, it's not your fault," she put a finger to his lips before he could continue. "It wasn't in a populous area so the word didn't get out. There's no way you could have known."

She sighed, groaning with annoyance.

"Besides, the akuma got away," Ladybug admitted, sagging with tiredness. "He's a shapeshifter, so he could be anywhere right now."

"A shapeshifter? Oh, so that's why you asked me the question!"

Ladybug smiled up at him and flicked his bell.

"Smart kitty."

He chuckled nervously, trying to hide his rocketing heartrate and luminescent blush.

"How do I know you're not the Shapeshifter?" he asked jokingly, trying to regain his cool.

"Why would I warn you if I was the Shapeshifter?"

"You might be trying to lull me into a false sense of security," Chat walked around behind her, hands on her shoulders. "Planning on whisking me away and doing something claw-ful with me."

She groaned.

"In your dreams, Chaton," she claimed, looking out to the city and leaning against his front.

Chat's breath hitched. Once again, without even realising, she had made him lose his cool. One day she would notice what she did to him and he'd never be able to go outside again.

"So, what's the plan then?" Chat coughed, linking his hands around her. "We gonna chat-ch this guy?"

Ladybug groaned again.

"That's the problem," she said. "He could be disguised as anyone right now. There's not really anything we can do until he shows up again. For now, let's stick with our schedule of meeting the mayor. We can also tell him about the akuma and to be on guard."

"Alright!" Chat grinned, taking out his baton. "I'll race you there then!"

He pushed her away and leapt off the side of the building, hollering as he pole-vaulted away.

"Hey, no fair!" Ladybug challenged, swinging after him. "You got a head-start!"

The two spent the next ten minutes swinging through the city, laughing as they made their way towards the Le Grand Paris.

Chat Noir landed in front of the building, shortly followed by Ladybug.

"I win!" he cheered as Ladybug pouted.

"Only just," she muttered, before subtly elbowed him in the side. "Come on, Chat. We have to be professional here. Not in front of the doormen."

"Oh right, gotcha," he whispered back with a wink.

The two walked up to the door manned by two large guards. Both guards were easily over six foot tall and almost as broad. They towered over the two superheroes and stood in front of the doors, preventing them entry. Both had faces that might as well have been chiselled out of stone for all the emotion they showed.

Chat had never seen these two before. He had been coming to the hotel all his life, yet he had never seen doormen this big and burly. These guys could pass for the Gorilla's long-lost brothers!

A hint of nervousness sparked within him. Adrien had been coming to Le Grand Paris his whole life to play with Chloe, yet he had never had a reception so unfriendly as this.

Chat watched nervously as Ladybug stepped forwards. It was almost comical the size difference between her and them. They were almost twice her height and definitely more than twice her girth. Yet she stood proud, clearly unintimidated by either of them.

"Name?" one of the two asked, with a voice like gravel rolling down a steep hill.

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. They saw them land here, who else would they be? Were there any other people who dressed in magical spandex in this city?

"Ladybug and Chat Noir," Ladybug answered, folding her arms and looking up at the two. "Mayor Bourgeois is expecting us."

The two guards nodded at one another. One went inside to talk to the receptionist and contact the mayor whilst the other stood in front of the door, his arms crossed. He stared down silently at Ladybug, who gave him a polite smile back.

The silence was a little awkward.

As a self-proclaimed master of quick wit and repertoire, Chat Noir sidled up to the doorman, determined to dispel the awkward silence.

"So…" Chat spoke casually. "You're a doorman, huh?"

The guard looked down at him with a countenance of rock. With some trepidation, Chat noted the man must have been nearly two heads taller than his father Gabriel, who wasn't exactly short.

Not put off by the continued silence, Chat persisted.

"Know any good knock-knock jokes?" he asked, twirling his tail in his hand.

Ladybug sighed.

"Chat…"

"Because I know plenty," he smirked up at the guard. "Knock-knock."

The doorman said nothing.

"You see this is the part where you say, 'who's there'?"

Ladybug grabbed him by his scruff and pulled him backwards. She dragged him a few feet away before letting him go.

"Chat, what are you doing?" she hissed.

"Just trying to get him to smile."

"We need to look professional!"

"Well it wouldn't kill him to smile," Chat argued. "Everyone looks better when they smile. Ever seen a model not smiling, or at least not looking depressed?"

Ladybug blushed, much to Chat's confusion, before shaking her head.

"That doesn't matter! We want the mayor to take us seriously. We can't act like a couple of bored kids!"

"But you're so pretty when you smile!"

"And you're pretty nice to look at when you're not being rude," she countered.

"Ahem!"

The two turned to see that the other doorman had returned.

"You two may enter, the mayor will see you in his office on the top floor," the doorman said, stepping to the side.

"Thank you," Ladybug replied politely, walking past them.

Chat sauntered past, just behind her.

"I'll finish the joke next time I see ya, ok buddy?" he winked at the guard, before Ladybug pulled him into the building.

Chat pouted as the two walked through the lobby and into the elevator. The doors closed, leaving the two alone together in the enclosed space. It was a fancy elevator, with mirrors covering all three of the walls. This gave the added bonus of letting him appreciate Ladybug from every angle.

"So, Bugaboo…" Chat said, pretending to stretch so he could put his arm around her. "Do you come around here often?"

"Hopefully I won't have to," she responded, deftly lifting his arm away. "But if you keep talking to those doormen I might have to rescue you. Also, Bugaboo, really?"

"Me-ouch," he said. "Bugaboo is cute, like you."

"Well now I've got to come up with a new nickname for you."

"How about handsome?"

"Doesn't really work."

"Hot stuff?"

"I think your head's big enough."

"I'll have you know my head is a perfect size, as voted by all the ladies of Paris."

"Hmm, strange… I was never included in that poll."

"It was in all the fashion magazines," Chat added, pretending to examine his claws. "You probably missed it."

"I keep pretty up to date with those, I'm sure I would have noticed you appearing."

"W-wait, you read fashion magazines?" he asked, incredulously.

"Well, yeah," Ladybug answered. "Why, is something wrong with that?"

"N-no not at all!" Chat stammered, trying to hide his blush.

If Ladybug read fashion magazines then that meant there was a good chance she would have seen Adrien modelling. Did she like how he looked? Did she think he was hot? Or did she not think anything of him at all?

Strangely enough, the last thought hurt the most. Of her seeing Adrien Agreste and just seeing another model, turning the page without a second thought. He had to know. Even though he was supposed to keep who he was a secret, he had to find out if she'd seen him and what she'd thought of him.

"So, Bugaboo, are there any hot models you like-," he began.

But then the elevator doors opened with a ding. They walked out into a short hallway with a sign that pointed towards the Mayor's office.

"Wow this place is really fancy," Ladybug said, eyeing the golden candelabra framing the doors and walls. "It's all a bit much though. A bit gaudy."

"Huh?" Chat asked, honestly not having noticed.

He had been here more times than he could count. Chloe had never been someone to try and hide her wealth, not that she had needed to from him. Adrien was used to lavish furnishings, unnecessary decorations and large fancy mirrors placed at the ends of corridors. It gave the place much more colour and feel than his own home's decorations did.

"Oh err… yeah, really compensating for something," he added, feeling a little awkward.

At least it was safe to assume Ladybug wasn't from a wealthy family. If the way she was looking around in clear wonder was any indication, she had never seen even the most affordable things in this corridor. Chat tried not to think about how she'd react if she knew his family were similarly wealthy.

Would she be impressed or would she think less of him?

The two came up to the final door and knocked.

"Come in," came the deep authoritative voice of the mayor.

Ladybug opened the door. If the corridor before could be considered lavish then his office was a monument to needless excess. A massive room that stretched high up and was lit by a chandelier that looked studded with diamonds. Gold was everywhere, on the tables, on the chairs, lining the window, the frames of the pictures on the walls and even lining the ceiling in elaborate curling patterns.

A massive oil painting of three people sat on the wall behind the Mayor's desk. It was a painting that Chat had seen too many times to count. The image depicted the mayor standing proudly with his arm around his wife's waist and his other hand resting on his daughter's shoulder. Adrien had seen the picture so often it was ingrained into him. His father had even modelled other paintings of his own family after it.

Glancing towards Ladybug it was clear to see how overwhelmed by all this she was. For the first time, he could see the naked awe on her face at the grand opulence of the place they were in. Andre Bourgeois was almost like an uncle to Adrien. He probably knew that man's warm smile better than his own father's. Knowing just how much of a doting dorky guy he was took a lot of the intimidation away from the rather tall mayor.

Ladybug didn't have that perspective however. To her, and the rest of the city, he wasn't an alternative father figure, he was their mayor. Their tall intimidating mayor who could radiate authority when he truly wanted to. He had won every election he had ever been in, in a landslide, and there was a reason for that.

"Ah, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Andre said, smiling warmly at the two. "Please come in and take a seat. It's a pleasure to see you both here in my office."

The two superheroes sat down in the chairs he indicated.

"Would you like any refreshments? Any hors d'oeuvres?" the mayor asked pleasantly. "The restaurant here has hired a new head chef recently, and she is simply marvellous!"

"No thank you, Mr Bourgeois," Ladybug responded.

"That would be great," Chat answered at the same time.

Ladybug looked at him.

"What? I'm hungry."

She sighed, before turning back to the mayor who paged someone for some food.

"Well then, let's get down to business," Andre said, lacing his fingers together.

"To defeat the Huns?" Chat finished with a cheeky smile.

Ladybug glared daggers at him.

"Please ignore him," she added. "He doesn't think sometimes."

"It's fine," Andre laughed, waving away her concern. "I wasn't aware you were a fan of that movie. My daughter loves it."

"Oh, that's good to hear," Chat said, barely stifling a grin. "She has great taste then."

Of course she did. They had both seen it together after all.

"First of all, I'd like to thank you for arranging an appointment to see me," Mayor Bourgeois continued. "I was more expecting you two to just barge in whenever you wanted."

"We want people to trust us," Ladybug responded, clearly pleased with the compliment. "And it's only polite to phone ahead for an appointment to see the Mayor of Paris."

"Yeah, people tend to get mad when we just crash in through the windows at night."

"Not that we ever do that," Ladybug quickly said, shooting him another look.

The mayor just chuckled.

"Of course not," he said. "So, what exactly is it that you want to discuss with me?"

Ladybug took a deep breath and Chat noticed the minute way her hands were shaking.

"We want to put people's minds at ease," she spoke eloquently. "There are a number of people who do not trust us to keep them safe from the akuma. We want to reassure everyone that not only do we have the situation in hand, but that they can trust us not to abuse our powers outside of the boundaries of the law."

She sat back in her chair, proud of her little speech.

"Except for running across rooftops and stuff," Chat quickly added as Ladybug silently turned red. "Because we kind of have to do that."

"Hmm, that's a good idea," the mayor said. "I think putting not only the public, but some of our elected officials at ease is important towards accomplishing this goal."

He typed something on his computer as the door behind them opened. A butler entered, pushing a tray full of food. Chat's eyes widened happily as the tray stopped next to him.

"I can contact members of the government for an event in which you can speak to them and the public," Mayor Bourgeois continued as Chat stuffed his face. "Would that be preferable?"

"I-Yes, very much so," Ladybug agreed. "The more the better. We want to let everyone know that we mean no harm and only want to stop Hawkmoth."

"Convincing me is one thing, but convincing the rest of Paris may be more difficult," he stated.

"Our track record in immaculate," Ladybug responded. "A lot of the public is already on our side. Not to mention, any damage that is caused I can fix."

"Except for that one time," Chat pointed out, mouth full. "With the lock guy, remember?"

"Except for that one time," she admitted, her teeth grinding. "But that was an exception. I was… a bit out of it then."

"I am well aware of your ability," the mayor said, standing up to walk over towards the painting of his family. "That day when you first appeared, I had never been more frightened in my life. When that monster threw my daughter, my baby girl, to the ground I thought that was it."

He turned to smile at the two of them.

"But then you two arrived and saved her life. Stopped the monster, fixed everything. When I stood there cowering in front of Hawkmoth, the police beside me also powerless, also cowering, you charged right in."

Mayor Bourgeois smiled directly at the stunned Ladybug.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the city is safer in your hands," he stated. "I will forever be in your debt."

Ladybug's jaw dropped.

"Th-thank you," she responded. "That's indeed an honour."

"Yes, well the trick now is to make sure the rest of Paris sees it the same way," Mayor Bourgeois continued.

"Do you have any ideas?" Ladybug asked.

"Well, I do have some experience in obtaining good will from the people," Bourgeois admitted.

"You're telling us," Chat said, popping another piece of food in his mouth. "You won by like a landslide. Wow, these are good! Is this tuna? It's amazing!"

"My idea is a great big party," the mayor said, gesturing wildly. "Invite everyone who is anyone in Paris. Televise it, make a few speeches, donations to charities and that will give you two a chance to show everyone in the city your true faces."

"When do you think that will be doable?" Ladybug folded her arms. "It sounds good, but that's going to take time to organise."

"Well when word leaks to the media, I'm sure public pressure will encourage everyone in the government to move a bit faster," the mayor winked.

The doors behind them were thrown open with a bang, making the heroes instinctively leap to their feet. Chat smiled at the sight of his other friend walking in.

"Daddy! You said you would come watch the movie with me!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir turned to see Chloe storm into the room. She took no notice of them and stomped straight up to her father.

"Now, sweetie," the mayor said placatingly. "I'm busy entertaining some guests you may recognise."

Chloe folded her arms and looked at the two superheroes. Ladybug waved half-heartedly, clearly trying not to grimace. Chloe's eyes grew wide.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" she leapt and smothered Ladybug in a bone-crushing hug. "Ladybug, you're here! Oh my god, I can't believe you're here!"

"Huh?" a bewildered Ladybug just about managed to say.

"Mwmhat mambout me?" Chat asked, a piece of fish still sticking out of his mouth.

Chloe eyed him like he was a particularly unattractive nail on her finger.

"Did your mother never tell you it's rude to talk with your mouth full?" Chloe scoffed, before she looked away from the wide-eyed Chat and back to Ladybug.

"I'm so happy you're here! Ladybug is here to see me!" Chloe swooned, giving the superhero doe-eyes.

"Um, it's nice to see you too?"

"You must remember seeing me when you saved me from that brute," Chloe grinned, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm Chloe Bourgeois, but of course I'm sure you're aware - who wouldn't be?"

"I don't know?" Ladybug gently removed herself from Chloe's grip. "It's lovely to meet you properly, Chloe."

Chat folded his arms and tried not to think about how deep that remark of Chloe's cut. He popped the final piece of the tuna in his mouth as Ladybug said her goodbyes and made excuses to Chloe. No, she didn't know it was him. She couldn't know about what happened to his mother. Chloe wouldn't be that cruel.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Mr Bourgeois," Ladybug said, moving towards the door. "Just announce the party date as soon as possible!"

"Thanks for the food, Mr Mayor," Chat agreed. "It was meow-vellous!"

"Let's go Chat," Ladybug prodded him, before whispering. "Hurry, before she tries to make me stay!"

"Why, my lady, is she a-mew-oying you?"

"Just hurry up!" she hissed, pushing him out the door.

Ladybug waved goodbye to the two inside, before booking it along the hallway. Chat laughed as he followed after the fleeing superheroine and piled into the elevator after her.

A few minutes later they were swinging away and perched on top of a nearby building. The sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon and Paris was glowing serenely below the night sky.

Ladybug sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"That went much better than I thought," she muttered.

Chat grinned.

"Yep, those hors d'oeuvres were great!"

Ladybug turned to him, unimpressed.

"You know, I was hoping you'd take this a bit more seriously," she protested, folding her arms. "He is the mayor. He could have thrown us out for being rude, publicly condemn us and make our lives way harder than they need to be."

"Nah, he's a chill guy, a real cool cat you could say," Chat wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Ladybug groaned.

"At least it worked out well for the moment. He seemed to like you regardless."

"Of course," Chat smirked, running a hand through his hair. "I am a purr-fectly charming chat-aracter."

"Shame Chloe didn't feel the same way," Ladybug smirked.

Chat's ears and face fell.

"She'll come around eventually," he boasted. "You'll see, my lady, if my mouth hadn't been full at the time, I'd have charmed her as well."

Ladybug gave him a look before leaning in.

"Come here," she sighed.

Chat's face blushed red as she held his face. His heart sped up and he felt himself begin to sweat.

'This is happening! This is happening!' he mindlessly repeated to himself.

All he could see was Ladybug, he could feel her gloved hands on his chin. Oh wow, she was close enough to smell. She smelled like vanilla and baking things.

Then he realised she was rubbing the side of his mouth.

"You've got some sauce around your mouth, Chaton," she chastised gently, focusing on rubbing it off. "There we go, all better now."

"O-oh…" he murmured, face still red as she leaned away.

Chat put a hand on his chest to futilely calm his racing heart. He looked up to see she was looking at him with a slight smile on her face.

"W-what? Is there still something there?" he asked, going cross-eyed trying to see his own face.

Ladybug laughed.

"No," she answered, before giving him an absolutely devastating smile. "But with you looking like that, I just thought of a new nickname for you."

"A n-nickname?" he muttered, that conversation seemed so long ago now.

"Now, I can start calling you: mon minou," Ladybug said, flicking his bell.

Ladybug stood up and turned away.

"Keep an eye out for the Shapeshifter," she spoke. "I'm heading to bed."

She turned so he could see her face.

"Good night, mon minou."

His breath hitched at the shock of emotion that pulsed through him. Chat tried to call out to her, but she was already swinging away in the distance. Unaware of the love-struck kitty she had left behind.

Chat held a hand to his forehead.

"These feelings aren't going away are they?" he realised, able to hear his rapid heartbeat in his sensitive ears. "Mon minou; 'my kitten'."

His heart lurched dangerously once more and he laughed.

"Always and only yours, my lady."

* * *

The thought of the sleepover took over Marinette's day entirely. From the moment that she woke up she was judging and looking at her outfits. She had to impress everyone, people she had somewhat known for years, but she didn't want to go too far and have them think she was a trying too hard.

"Oh, Tikki! What do I do?" she moaned. "I'm gonna ruin everything and Alya will hate me! Then I'll have no friends and have to sit on my own like I used to do!"

"Calm down, Marinette," Tikki patiently repeated a phrase she felt would become very common for this particular chosen. "You're not going to ruin it."

"But what if I do? I should just not say anything, let Alya do the talking."

"Marinette, always be yourself," Tikki advised, flying over to land on her shoulder. "Otherwise you will only come off as insincere."

"But what if they don't like me?"

Marinette's voice was small, laden by years of taunts and backhanded remarks from Chloe. Tikki inwardly frowned. Becoming Ladybug hadn't solved all of her confidence problems like some sort of magic wand. It would take some time, time for Marinette to work on her confidence as herself and perhaps her overconfidence as Ladybug.

"Then they don't deserve you," her kwami advised. "If you have to pretend to be someone you're not then they simply aren't the right friends for you."

"But I want them to like me."

"Life isn't that simple, Marinette," she leant her head against her chosen's. "Remember yesterday how that boy wanted you to date him? You were not obliged to agree and chose not to."

"Then he became an akuma, transformed into Adrien and kissed me anyway," Marinette pouted, sitting down in a huff. "Still trying not to think about that."

"Nevertheless, this is the same. They are no more obliged to be your friends then you were to date that boy."

"So, what should I do?"

"Be yourself; be better than that boy."

Marinette bit her bottom lip.

"Although, in my experience, if you want to start things off on the right foot, some tasty snacks wouldn't hurt."

Marinette brightened once more.

"That's a great idea, Tikki!" she squealed as Tikki giggled. "I'll ask Maman and Papa for any snacks I can take. That'll surely help."

"Speaking of helping, I never finished our talk," the kwami continued. "Remember yesterday, about how you fought that akuma unnecessarily violently."

"I'm sorry, Tikki," Marinette said, fists clenched. "I was just so mad that he forced that kiss on me. I forgot that the akuma makes him a victim as well."

"It's not that. You were frightened that the man you loved was assaulting you, don't apologise for defending yourself. This is about something you should be aware of as Ladybug."

"As Ladybug?"

Tikki left her shoulder and floated in front of Marinette's face. It was important such discussions occurred face to face.

"As Ladybug you are strong, far stronger than any human or animal. The miraculous will only increase your physical capabilities from here on out, both as Ladybug and as Marinette."

"I'm going to keep getting stronger? You've told me this."

"Yes, but Hawkmoth's champions will not. Some like Stoneheart will be stronger than you, and grow stronger, but not all of them will be like this."

"Huh?" Marinette frowned.

"The powers that Hawkmoth bestows upon his champions are varied and wild. They do not all necessarily include traits such as super strength or durability."

"Wait, so you're saying they won't be like us?"

"Yes. Despite their powers, some of them, as rare it may be, may simply be as durable as a normal human being."

"So… so if I hit one of those akuma at full force…" Marinette swallowed, face pale.

"They'd die, yes."

"But I can't just hold back," Marinette argued. "Some of those akuma would kill me and Chat if we held back!"

"No, but you should watch and verify just how tough they must be," Tikki said sadly. "It is difficult, but that is your responsibility. Protecting the akumatized victim is also part of the duty of being Ladybug."

Marinette looked stricken.

"We just have to be careful then?"

Tikki smiled at Marinette.

"You haven't done anything that can't be taken back yet, Marinette. Overall, I'm very proud of the way you're handling your power."

"Well then I'll just have to keep it in mind," Marinette smiled back. "Next time we face Shapeshifter, me and Chat Noir will take him down without a fuss! I just have to be careful."

Marinette hugged the little kwami, before continuing to pack her things. Alya wanted her there a little early to help set everything up and Marinette was willing to oblige.

Within an hour, she had a box full of freshly baked macaroons, her bag full of necessities and was heading over to Alya's to begin the sleepover.

Alya's house was very nice to look at. It had a rather modern look and was made of brown bricks with tan siding. Large windows with delicately wrought-iron accents were placed fashionably across both visible stories, with the ones on the top floor containing flower baskets.

Marinette recalled Alya mentioning her mother was the head chef at some fancy restaurant, so a very nice house wasn't completely unexpected. She knocked on the door and put on her best good-girl smile.

The door was answered by a rather stern looking man with a short beard and glasses. He looked down at Marinette for a moment, before a small smile broke over his face.

"You must be Marinette, come in," he gestured. "I'm Alya's father."

When Marinette looked, she could easily spot the resemblance. Alya clearly had his eyes, which despite his rough appearance, were kind eyes. She focused on that, and suddenly the man didn't seem quite so intimidating.

"Thank you, Mr Césaire," she smiled, stepping inside. "I brought some macaroons for the sleepover."

"That's wonderful," he walked her through the house and into the kitchen. "Just put them here with everything else. Alya has really been looking forward to this. Being the new girl, it's a little awkward for her. I'm happy that she's made such a good friend already."

"Everyone likes Alya," Marinette replied honestly, putting the macaroons down on a table already laden with snacks. "She doesn't come off as awkward at all!"

The man laughed.

"Well, Alya has always been very straight-forward. She wants to be a reporter, you know?"

"I do! She's got a blog and everything!"

"Marinette!" a voice yelled.

Marinette was then tackled by the larger girl and swept in a great big squealing hug, which she eagerly returned.

"You made it!" Alya proclaimed, before looking jokingly at her dad. "What have you been telling her?"

"Ha-ha, nothing embarrassing," her father answered with a gentle smile. "At least not yet. That's for when everyone's here."

"Dad!" Alya scolded with a smile, before letting go of Marinette. "Ignore him, I'm perfect, obviously. Right Marinette?"

"Err yeah… perfect."

Alya put her hands on her hips in mock anger.

"Is that doubting I detect? From my best friend? This is treason! We shall convene upstairs!"

"Ok," Marinette giggled, following Alya up the stairs. "Thank you for letting me in, Mr Césaire!"

"Try not to break anything!" he called up after them.

Alya rolled her eyes as she shut the door to her bedroom behind them. It was a pretty big room, although it lacked the elevated bed that Marinette's had. She put down her backpack and took a look around. On one side was her bed and a window outside of which Marinette could see some pretty pink flowers.

On the other side was a large desk, on top of which was a computer with two screens as well as a bunch of newspapers. On the wall above the desk were numerous cuttings of headlines and articles that featured Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Noticed my collection, huh?"

"Ah!" Marinette squeaked, leaping away from the wall. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy."

"Nosy? You're in my room, not siphoning through my underwear drawer," Alya laughed, clearing some space on her desk. "Relax, I won't bite."

She dumped a load of the newspapers next to a shredder that Marinette just noticed.

"How cool is it that superheroes actually exist?" Alya asked, sitting in her desk chair to better look at her collage. "And that they're in our city?! I'm so happy we moved to Paris!"

"Pretty cool," Marinette breathed, silently all the headlines. "I've never seen these headlines."

'Superheroes Exist?!' and 'Ladybug and Chat Noir save Paris!' with pictures that Marinette remembered from the Stoneheart fight. Most prominently however, in big red letters that must have come from some sort of magazine in the centre of the wall; 'Who are Ladybug and Chat Noir?'

"Don't you read newspapers, Mari?" Alya teased. "Every supervillain attack there's been an article written by somebody. I've kept every single one I can find."

"Why?" Marinette blurted out before she could think.

"Because I want to find out who they are!" Alya responded, a gleam in her eye as she typed on her computer. "And to do that I need to find patterns, locations and sniff around for any scrap of information that I can get! Everything I find out; I upload onto the Ladyblog."

"And what have you found out?" Marinette dared to ask.

"Err…" Alya's face fell. "Well they're definitely good people. Ladybug can restore damage that the supervillains cause, but she doesn't always do it for some reason."

Her eyes flickered towards another headline on the wall and Marinette's followed; 'Extreme Property Damage – Thanks Ladybug!'

It was accompanied by the picture of the sunken sidewalk from a week ago when Chat used his Cataclysm to save her. Guilt coiled uncomfortably in her stomach and the desire to defend herself surged inside.

"Maybe she couldn't?" Marinette suggested. "There might be some limit to her powers."

"Hmm, maybe. But unless I can actually see and record some fights or talk to her I won't know for sure."

"But that's dangerous, Alya!" Marinette protested. "It's dangerous to get too close."

"Oh, I know," she brushed off. "I've read comic books. I know the whole grabbing a hostage to get an advantage over the hero trope. I just need a good angle to see what's happening."

"So, you don't think Ladybug is a problem?"

"Of course not, only those stuffy old guys on the TV think that," Alya rolled her eyes. "Look, I've even done interviews!"

She pulled up the Ladyblog to a certain video titled 'What Does Paris think of Ladybug and Chat Noir?'

The video started in Alya's room, focused on Alya's frowning face.

"I've been reading up on certain sites that some people think Paris hates its resident superheroes. Well let me put that awful rumour to rest."

They were suddenly outside and the face of an old lady was in front of the camera.

"What do you think of Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Well they seem very sweet," the old woman said. "I wish them all the best."

Another face, this one a young man.

"I think they're awesome! Chat Noir's so cool!"

Another face, Juleka from their class.

"They're heroes. No doubt about it. I saw my classmate get transformed into a monster and kidnap another one of my friends. They saved them both, so they're alright in my books."

Marinette stared, slack-jawed as one after another, the people of Paris professed their support for the heroes.

"I owe them my life."

"Honestly, I trust them more than the police."

"Ladybug is so cool! She beats them up with a yo-yo! How freaky is that?"

"Ladybug's magic repairs everything! My husband was stabbed during one attack, but a moment later was perfectly fine! Just tell me the police officer that can do that!"

"Chat Noir actually saved my husband from a mugger!"

It kept going on and on, until a happy looking Alya faced the camera and said her goodbyes, then the video ended.

"Not bad, huh?" Alya said, navigating the Ladyblog. "No-one had anything bad to say! Although I've been working on improving the format, making it look a bit more professional. Recently, I've got this new app that lets me livestream directly to the website. How insane is that?"

"…yeah…" Marinette breathed, smiling at the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest. "I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir appreciate it as well."

"You think they see my blog?" Alya scoffed and nudged Marinette. "Maybe they'll pay me a visit and I can be their PR manager?"

'That actually sounds like a good idea,' Marinette admitted to herself. 'Though Tikki would never agree to it.'

If there was one person more paranoid then Marinette about someone finding out their identities then it was Tikki. The kwami had practically ordered her not to reveal herself unless her life was without a doubt in immediate danger.

"Maybe, I certainly would if I was them," Marinette said, sitting on Alya's bed. "Wow, your bed is so lovely!"

"Thanks, that's the memory foam. It folds to your body shape."

Marinette moaned as she lied down, feeling the mattress give way and fold around her. It was almost like being hugged.

"You've been holding out on me," she muttered, suddenly feeling how tired she was. "This is treachery, Alya…"

"Well feel free to make up for lost time," she offered, before turning around. "Now we don't have long before the others start to arrive. My Dad says he'll have to leave for a bit because of something at the zoo so it'll be just us girls for a while."

Alya continued to talk as Marinette laid there on the bed, slowly drifting off.

"Truth or dare is a must, maybe even spin the bottle – after we've drank it all of course," Alya continued. "I wonder if they'll have any ideas, you know them right Marinette?"

"Huh?"

"The others, can you tell me about them?"

"Oh, um…"

Marinette's mind went blank. What did she know about her female classmates? Despite having known them for years she didn't really know them at all. Marinette had never managed to really be friends with any of them. Alix liked rollerblading, but that was obvious as that's how she went home every day. Mylene liked Ivan and that was as far as Marinette knew about her. Rose and Juleka, Marinette honestly had no idea.

But what would Alya think of her if she admitted that? That she was a loner who'd never been to a sleepover in her life, let alone one with all her classmates before. It was like every lunchtime she'd sat by herself, every invite she'd never received and every party she'd been shunned from all spoke up and forced Marinette's mouth to move.

"Well, we're really close," she lied. "I'm sure they'll all be pretty cool with just about anything you suggest."

"Well that's a relief," Alya said, before leaning in conspiratorially. "And since my parents won't be around, how about we have some booze as well?"

"A-are you sure they'll be alright with that?"

"I used to do it all the time in my last school, my parents will be fine with it," Alya replied quickly. "For now, let's just get the rest ready."

The next hour was spent tidying her room, unwrapping snacks and debating which shows to watch. The time went by fast and soon the other girls began to arrive one by one.

Before long, Marinette was sitting nervously in Alya's living room with a bored looking Alix, an excited Rose, a nervous Mylene and a neutral Juleka. Marinette sweated nervously as Alya was saying goodbye to her father in the other room.

"So how was everyone's summer?" Marinette asked, trying to break the silence. "We haven't really talked since last year."

Alix raised an eyebrow.

"We never really talked much, period."

"Then now's a great time to start!" Marinette rallied, trying to ignore the awkward stares from the other girls.

"Oh, I went to Monet's Garden in Giverny!" Rose clasped her hands together in delight. "It was all so beautiful! There were so many gorgeous flowers, it was to die for!"

"That sounds lovely, Rose," Marinette applauded. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Sounds boring," Alix said, not noticing Juleka's glare. "I went skiing in the Alps with my family and Kim's family."

"That sounds dangerous," Mylene spoke. "Skiing is way too scary for me."

"Scary? It's the best fun in the world!" Alix argued. "Shooting down mountains, doing sick jumps and getting pizza at the end! You're mad if you disagree."

"Well the pizza part sounded nice," Juleka spoke up softly with a wry smile. "Although it interests me that you went with Kim. Is something going on there?"

"Oh, was it a date?!" Rose asked excitedly, putting her hand on Alix's knee. "Are you two dating?"

"Ew, that jock?" Alix's face scrunched up. "Have you seen him? He's way too gross and immature for me. He still thinks his farts are funny."

She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Not exactly boyfriend material, huh?" Alya asked, walking in, her arms laden with snacks.

"I'm pretty sure he's gay for Max as well," Alix added, taking a macaroon from Alya. "Max is all he ever talked about during the trip. He was all: 'Max does this, Max likes that'. Just shut up Kim, I want to ski!"

"I thought they were complete opposites," Alya admitted, putting the snacks in the middle of the circle. "I didn't think they were best friends."

"Ivan says that he hangs out with Max quite a bit," Mylene prompted, taking a handful of crisps. "They have more in common than you might think."

"Like me and my girl here," Alix smiled, putting a friendly arm around Mylene. "She did my hair for me. Looks fucking amazing, right?"

There were murmurs of agreement.

"Pink really suits you, Alix," Rose chimed in. "Maybe you could do my hair too, Mylene?"

"Oh, I'd love too!"

"I don't know if pink would suit you, Rose," Juleka added dryly, running a hand through the girl's locks. "I like you as a bright perky blonde."

"Who does your hair, Juleka?" Alya asked, leaning forwards. "I love the purple tips."

Marinette smiled as the awkward air seemed to dissipate and everyone was talking, eating and laughing with one another. Except of course, no one turned to talk to her.

'It's fine,' she thought. 'Alya's sleepover is going well. That's what matters.'

"Now that everything's gotten going a little bit," Alya grinned, reaching behind the nearby couch to grab the alcohol. "Who wants something to drink?"

"Yes please!" Alix surged forwards, grabbing one of the plastic cups.

The others all muttered assent and began filling their cups as well. Marinette didn't have much experience with alcohol personally, but there were a lot of different coloured and shaped bottles. Maybe that would help strike up a conversation?

"How are things with Ivan?" Marinette tried to ask Mylene, only for the shorter girl to not hear her. "Um, Mylene? How are things with-?"

"Hey Mylene, you should try this!" Alix said, shoving a cup into her hands.

"Oh, I really shouldn't. Alcohol and me don't mix well."

"Come on girl, it's a slumber party! Enjoy yourself!"

Marinette shut her mouth as everyone continued to chat around her. It was isolating in its familiarity. Alya was chatting with Juleka and Rose, whilst Mylene and Alix were discussing Ivan intently.

'Come on, Marinette,' she tried. 'Just be yourself! Just be yourself!'

She opened her mouth, but no words came to mind. Marinette closed her mouth with a snap.

'Maybe Alya will talk with me?' she wondered.

Before she could act. the door to the room opened. It was only because Marinette was looking towards Alya that she caught her friend's face paling.

"Er… hey dad?" she said, as the conversations trailed off.

Her dad stood in the doorway with an intense look on his face. He looked straight at her.

"Marinette, can you come with me for a moment?" he questioned. "Your parents called. You're not in trouble, don't worry."

"Um… o-ok?" Marinette stammered, putting her cup down and slowly standing up.

Marinette missed Alya's concerned glance as the two left the room. Marinette followed Mr Césaire into the kitchen.

"Mr Césaire, what do my parents want?"

He gestured towards the house phone, which was off the hook. Marinette picked it up and put it to her ear.

"Hello? Maman? Papa?"

A dull tone greeted her.

Before she could respond, Mr Césaire wrapped his hand around her mouth and pinned her arms to her sides with his other.

"It was hard to get you alone," he muttered as Marinette struggled, kicking out with her legs. "But it will be worth the effort."

He lifted her off the ground, still immobilised and carried her outside. All the while Marinette did her best to scream and struggle, but the man's hold was like steel.

She bit down on his hand as hard as she could, but felt only gross-tasting sludge.

"You're stronger than you look," the Shapeshifter noted with a grin. "But I won't underestimate you this time. No lucky meetings with superheroes!"

Marinette cursed her own idiocy. Of course, the akuma would keep stalking her. She was the reason for him being akumatized! She had let her guard down completely and now she was going to pay for it.

She panicked as she struggled and tried to scream for help, but there was no answer. No akuma had stuck around for this long, not even Stoneheart. There was no way to transform, no way to contact help, she was stuck.

'Come on, Marinette, come on!' she thought, looking around. 'There's got to be something.'

An idea came to her, but she would need time. He had reached the driveway onto the street and was ready to jump. Marinette lashed out with a kick as hard as she could. Though not at him, but at the rubbish bins outside.

They toppled over and spilled out with a crash that was utterly deafening in the silent night streets.

"Hey, none of that!" the akuma laughed. "Though I like that you're feisty!"

"Marinette?!" a voice called from the house. "Dad?! Why's the door open? What's that noise?"

Alya appeared on her front porch, in the shadow of the open doorway. For a moment, the three stared at one another and Marinette put her dumb plan into action.

'I hate my life,' she thought as she began.

"Dad?! What the hell are you doing?!" Alya screamed, running towards them. "Let her go!"

"Shut up! I'm not your damn dad!" the akuma yelled back at her, in his panic slipping into a dual voice. "Keep away if you ever want to see Marinette alive again!"

Alya froze, utterly terrified and confused. It bought Marinette a good couple of seconds.

"Ow!" the akuma cried out, clutching his hand as Marinette slipped away. "How did- You ate it?!"

Marinette felt sick to her stomach. The purple sludge had been as nauseating to eat as she'd thought, but it was all she could think to do.

"It's not your dad, it's a shapeshifter akuma, run!" she yelled, sprinting down the road as fast as she could.

The akuma cursed as he ran after her. Marinette teared down the street, aware that this time there were no crowds or obstacles to keep herself ahead of the akuma. She threw down bin after bin behind her, making as much noise as she could. She tried to ignore the nausea from the awful taste in her mouth. The sludge settled heavily in her stomach and she felt like she'd throw up any second.

But she had to keep going. She had to lure the akuma away from Alya and the others. Now if only she could gain enough distance to transform.

Her breathing became ragged as she barely kept ahead of the akuma obsessively chasing her. Street by street passed as her adrenaline began to run low and Marinette felt her chest begin to tighten. Her lungs were burning and her legs in agony. She couldn't keep up the pace for much longer.

She turned a final corner and ran headlong into a dead end.

"You've got to be kidding…" she panted.

"Fortunately not," Shapeshifter grinned.

Marinette spun round and pressed herself against the brick wall as far away from the advancing akuma as she could.

"You're quite a slippery one," he said slyly, slowly walking forwards. "Actually eating the goo covering my hand so you could bite it? Ha, genius! I knew there was something I liked about you."

"Why… why… me…?" Marinette barely managed to breathe out, half-stalling and half genuinely curious.

Shapeshifter's face contorted into a snarl.

"Because you rejected me!" he growled. "Just because I'm not handsome you didn't even give me a chance! Girls like you are the worst kind! Taking nice guys like me for granted!"

He then leered.

"But you're so beautiful. You'll give me a chance whether you like it or not."

Fuck this. She was transforming. Hawkmoth may know her identity but it wasn't worth potentially dying or worse to this freak.

"Sp… Spots…"

Then a baton slammed into the side of the akuma's head. Knocking him clean off his feet and back into the street. A dark figure stood up, placed between her and the Shapeshifter.

"Looks like somebody needs a time meow-t!" Chat Noir quipped.

Marinette didn't know how he knew where they were or how he got here so fast, but she could have kissed him nonetheless.

"Ch…Chat Noir…" she panted, smiling wildly.

He turned and gave her a wink.

"Get out of here. Leave this to the purr-fessionals," he smirked, before turning his attention back on the akuma.

She didn't need telling twice. She ran as fast as her exhausted body could handle until she was out of sight.

Marinette breathed heavily as she put her hands on her knees to try and recover some of her breath. Tikki flew out of her jacket pocket, floating next to her head.

"Well done, Marinette! Now you just need to transform!"

"Y-yeah… Spots… On…"

Ladybug took in a deep breath and tried to compose herself. From the sounds of it, Chat Noir was engaged in a heavy battle with the akuma. He would need her help.

She let loose her yo-yo and swung to the top of the building. The fight had left the street and was now on the rooftops, with Chat deftly dodging and parrying the massive blade growing out of the akuma's left arm.

There was a brief pang of jealousy that he got a proper weapon as opposed to a children's toy, but she quickly squashed it. At least she could always do this…

"Lucky Charm!"

A flash of light and a red and black-spotted object dropped down into her hands.

"A retractable dog leash?" she realised, before looking up at the sky. " _Thanks_ , Tikki."

She looked out towards the fight, which had Chat jumping across rooftops to avoid the strikes from the enraged akuma. He ducked under a blow which was stopped by a nearby chimney. Chat slammed the end of his baton into the Shapehifter's face then leapt away with a taunting laugh.

"Huh, or maybe not…" Ladybug smirked, spinning her yo-yo and swinging off after them.

Chat ducked and weaved out of the way of the akuma's wild strikes. He jabbed forwards with his baton and winded the creature. Chat ran forwards, only to be forced back as spikes erupted out of the Shapeshifter's stomach.

"I can't get close," he realised, raising his baton to continue.

"I'm here, Chaton."

His face immediately brightened as Ladybug landed next to him.

"My lady, I found the Shapeshifter!"

"Oh, really?" she smiled back, before focusing on the akuma and pointing. "Do you think you can lure him over that way?"

"Easily."

"Ok, when I tell you to, I'll need you to use Cataclysm."

"On what?"

"On-,"

The Shapeshifter lunged and they were forced to separate. Ladybug didn't have much time, so she'd have to act now.

"Just trust me!" she yelled as she swung away.

Chat swung his baton into the akuma's head and backflipped away.

"So why are you so cranky?" Chat taunted, landing on some nearby chimneys. "Sports team lose? Did a girl reject you or something?"

The Shapeshifter snarled and turned on Chat.

"She did?" Chat trilled, with an infuriating smirk. "How did that feel? It's never happened to me so I wouldn't know."

"I'll kill you!" the Shapeshifter screamed, charging at him.

"Hey, don't scar this purr-tty face," Chat said, dodging and leaping to another roof, where he laid languidly examining his claws. "The ladies love it. Not that you'll know anything about that."

The akuma roared and leapt off the roof towards Chat.

Chat grinned as he jumped to avoid the strike and the akuma followed. Shapeshifter lunged forwards with an overhead strike, only for his arm to stop dead, caught in something.

"What?!" he cried out, seeing that his arm was tied up in something red.

It was the dog lead. It was wrapped around his arm and had been tied around several nearby chimneys. He pulled, but couldn't dislodge it.

Suddenly, Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around his other arm and stretched him out, leaving his chest facing Chat Noir. The akuma's arms were immobilised.

"Quickly, Chat!"

"Cataclysm!" Chat yelled, running forwards with his hand glowing with the ultimate power of Destruction.

But what was he supposed to hit? The roof? All there was in front of him was the bound and struggling akuma, displayed almost like a target… but that couldn't be right. Ladybug wouldn't want him to kill…

 _"Just trust me!"_

Thought abandoned him and with a roar, Chat leapt forwards. Spikes came out of the akuma's bubbling chest to attack, but unperturbed he slammed cataclysm through them and into the Shapeshifter's chest. The akuma howled as the power of Destruction ate away at him.

Chat Noir watched in horror as the outline of the man he was pretending to be solidified and turned black. The restraints fell slack as the large akuma crumbled in on himself, before vanishing into dust.

Except instead of nothing remaining, there was someone standing utterly unharmed in the midst.

Chat looked in surprise at the short boy now standing where the large frightening akuma had once been. The boy, clad in featureless purples spandex, looked up at Chat Noir fearfully.

"What?" Chat murmured in confusion, relieved that he hadn't actually killed someone, before Ladybug landed next to him.

"Good work, Chat! I knew you'd do it," she said, scratching under his chin. "This was so much easier with you here."

The akuma, now powerless tried to run, but forgot they were on the edge of a rooftop. Ladybug's hand shot out and she snatched him round the ankle before he could fall and hoisted him up.

Coldly, she observed him before grabbing what looked like a belt-buckle and crushing it in her hands. Immediately, the butterfly appeared and she snatched it up in her yo-yo.

"Bye-bye little butterfly," Ladybug called fondly, gently putting the boy down on the roof.

With a burst of dark energy, a regular boy on his hands and knees replaced the figure.

"W-what happened? Where am I?"

Ladybug approached and stood over him.

"You… you're Ladybug," he said in awe and a little bit of fear. "Holy crap…"

Ladybug's fists clenched.

 _"He is a victim as well."_

She let them drop. Ladybug kneeled beside him.

"You've been akumatized for a while, are you feeling alright?" she asked as tenderly as she could manage.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, blushing. "I'm sorry for any trouble I caused."

"It's not your fault," she reassured him with a smile. "Don't let rejections get to you. Just move on, you'll find someone who likes you for who you are someday. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. No matter how easy it may be."

It wasn't much, but it was all she could offer him.

 _Beep-beep!_

Ladybug stood up and turned to Chat Noir, who was staring at her with an intense look on his face.

"Could you make sure he gets home safely?" she asked. "I don't have long."

"Sure," he said brightly, shaking himself out of his mood. "But, my lady. How did you know Cataclysm wouldn't kill him?"

"Oh, well he used that sludge to shapeshift. Underneath that he was just a normal person," Ladybug gave him a grateful smile. "You have no idea how hard it was without you around. Thanks Chaton."

Chat preened.

"Why Bugaboo, it's almost as if you like having me around?"

Ladybug laughed.

"It's almost like we're partners, mon minou."

With a final giggle, Ladybug swung away. She landed nearby, out of sight and amongst some dumpsters. With a flash, she was Marinette again.

"Good job, Marinette," Tikki applauded tiredly. "You did the right thing."

"Yeah, now I've just got to deal with my other problems."

The walk back to Alya's house was surprisingly short. In her panicked run, she hadn't actually managed to get very far from her friend's house at all. The bins had been put back and tidied up and the house lights were still on. When Marinette knocked on the door, an out-of-breath Alya opened it and immediately enveloped her in a hug.

"Girl! You're all right! Chat Noir got my message, I couldn't believe it!"

"Your message?"

"On the Ladyblog!" Alya replied, hugging Marinette tightly. "I said a supervillain had kidnapped my friend and had run after her. I ran after you guys and I got some of the fight on record!"

"You saw the fight?!" Marinette screeched. "I was trying to lead him away from you guys!"

"Oh, Mari," Alya looked like she was about to cry. "Everyone else left after the supervillain did. Everyone was scared and went back home. I can't believe you came back."

"Everyone left? I'm so sorry, Alya."

Alya hugged her even harder.

"Oh, Mari, it's not your fault."

Now it was time to come clean.

"Alya, I-I lied about being close friends with everyone," Marinette admitted. "I-I don't really have many friends. I was worried you'd think I was a loser."

Alya sniffed.

"No one was talking to you," Alya remembered. "I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"It's not your fault."

"But I lied to you too, Mari!" Alya admitted. "About all that drinking I used to do. I've never taken my parents alcohol before, I just wanted you to think I was cool."

Marinette gaped. Alya was the most confident girl that Marinette had ever met. That she had lied to try and make herself seem cooler felt alien. The urge bubbled up inside her, until Marinette was laughing uncontrollably.

"We're both such dorks!" she gasped, still holding onto Alya.

"We are!" Alya laughed.

They stood together like that for a few minutes, just leaning on one another.

"So," Alya smiled, drying her eyes. "How about we finish the sleepover? Just you and me?"

"I'd like that," Marinette admitted, letting Alya guide her in. "I'd like that so much."

"Great. I've got this show I want you to watch…"

The rest of the night, Marinette told Alya about her fake date with the akuma, and to her delight, she gasped in all the right places. Alya told Marinette about recording the fight and they watched it together on Alya's luxurious bed, drinking soda and eating macaroons. Eventually they fell asleep watching Sailor Moon together, two happy smiles on their faces.

Not too far away, in the Agreste Manor, Adrien laid down on his bed, staring up at the blank ceiling. Plagg snored softly by his bedside, the only indication that he wasn't completely alone in his house.

Sleep eluded him as Ladybug's words echoed through his mind.

 _'Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not.'_

'I wish it was that easy, Ladybug,' Adrien thought to himself. 'But father won't let me. Would you be disappointed?'

He turned over to face the window, looking out into the rest of Paris.

 _'Mon minou.'_

He smiled softly. Even the memory of her newest nickname cheered him up a little. The look of concentration on her face when she had a plan. Her confidence, her stubbornness, her kindness, she occupied his thoughts near constantly.

It certainly made one thing clear to him, he was utterly, irrevocably in love with his partner.

Adrien Agreste was in love with the amazing woman he fought supervillains with. He knew nothing about her. He didn't know her name, her age or even where she lived, but he was still in love with the mysterious woman underneath that mask.

"And that's just fine," he murmured, turning away from the window. "I can live with that."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I love to hear your thoughts and comments!  
**

 **Responses:**

 **Tsukimine12:** Glad you liked it, I hope this chapter is even better! Adrien really is pure, he's coming to terms with the fact that he loves her.

 **Daisy Rhine:** Indeed, superheroes have many responsibilities and Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to fulfil those. Hope you liked this chapter!

 **firestorm100:** Thank you so much, I'm glad you think it's original! Not to spoil too much but a gym thing wil be coming up soon. And there will be both animal side-effects as well as side-effects to being aspects of Creation and Destruction. Not to mention side-effects of just being superheroes in general. Did someone say store discounts? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **LadyNoir fan:** I'm happy you liked it so much! I don't have any intention of stopping so don't worry.

 **Now that responses are out of the way, I thought I'd put next chapter's summary here, just to whet your appetites.**

 **Summary:** The party has been scheduled and will be happening soon, except Adrien finds out he's expected to attend as himself and Chat Noir! It's going to take some cunning to get out of this one! Meanwhile Marinette has a break down realising she has to wear spandex to the fanciest party of her life.


	5. Chapter 5: Gala

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Summary:** The party has been scheduled and the date is rapidly approaching. But both Ladybug and Chat Noir have their own problems to deal with before they'll be ready to go.

* * *

 **Gala**

"It itches," Adrien murmured to himself, idly scratching his back.

It was a strange tingly feeling that had slowly spread all the way down his spine. Sitting alone in his room, a game of Mecha Strike Three lay abandoned as he desperately tried to soothe his back. He hoped it wasn't a rash or something worse. His father would be furious if he had managed to aggravate his skin in any way. Wouldn't want the sales to suffer…

Adrien stretched and contorted, running his perfectly filed nails over part of the area, except it managed to do exactly nothing to ease his discomfort. He grunted as he scratched harder, but it didn't relieve him at all.

Annoyed, Adrien sat down on the floor beside his sofa and aggressively rubbed his back against the side. It provided a small amount of relief, so he rubbed harder.

Then Natalie walked in.

"Adrien…" she stopped.

Adrien stopped.

They stared at one another.

Adrien shot away from the sofa, his face bright red.

"Y-yes, Natalie?!" his voice broke. "W-what is it?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Your father has requested your presence," she said curtly, mercifully not saying anything about what he was doing.

In his little hidey hole, Adrien was sure that Plagg was laughing his ass off.

"F-father wants to see me?" he stood up excitedly, quickly running towards Natalie. "Now?"

"Don't run in the house," she chided. "Yes, right now as a matter of fact. Please be on your best behaviour and come with me."

Still embarrassed, Adrien ducked his head and followed after her. She marched him through the quiet, lifeless manor until they reached his father's office. Natalie stood by the door and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Gabriel commanded.

She ushered him through, staying outside to Adrien's silent worry. His father's home office was just as dull and lifeless as the rest of the Mansion. It had white walls with no decorations (father always said they were unnecessary). The room was utilitarian; it's only purpose was housing his father's desk and computer.

"Adrien," his Father greeted, lacing his fingers together on his desk.

"Father," Adrien responded politely, keeping his back straight, his arms linked behind his back and maintaining polite eye contact.

Gabriel's eyes held a glint of approval and Adrien felt his back twinge almost painfully in response.

"You have been keeping up with the latest news about our resident 'superheroes', I presume?" Gabriel continued, his tone unreadable.

"Yes, father," Adrien was barely able to keep the excited grin off his face. "Tomorrow, All Saints Day, there's going to be the party."

"Gala, Adrien," Gabriel corrected harshly. "Not a 'party'."

He said the word with such disdain, Adrien quailed.

"Y-yes, father, my mistake."

"This Gala may very well be the most important social event of this century," he explained. "Some of the most important people in Europe will be attending. I have decided that as the future CEO of _Gabriel_ , it's time you began to make your own contacts."

Adrien could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

"Y-you mean I can go? I can go to the Gala?"

"Yes, Adrien, that is what I am saying. Your bodyguard will accompany you of course and your tuxedo will be fitted this evening."

Adrien could barely hear what his father was saying over the pounding of blood in his ears. He was going! He was being given permission by his father to attend an event for the first time. Especially after what had happened last week when Nino tried to get him a birthday present.

"As is convention," Gabriel continued, unaware his son was barely listening. "You will have a date to escort. Miss Bourgeois was kind enough to volunteer herself for this role, despite the relative lateness of the offer."

He would have to stay with Chloe the whole time. That's not too bad. Maybe she'd be more inclined to act like she did when it was just the two of them as opposed to how she acted in school. Adrien was still honestly in shock that his father was letting him go. Maybe this was just the beginning? Soon he'd be letting him attend birthday parties and sleepovers, he could be a normal kid!

"Adrien!" his father snapped.

Adrien stood up straight.

"I made this decision after much deliberation," Gabriel stared down intently at his son. "I believe you are ready for this. Do not disappoint me."

"I won't, father."

"Do not let me detain you."

Adrien's back tingled again at the dismissal. He left the room and was walked back to his room by Natalie. The instant he was alone again, he leapt onto his couch and cheered.

"Plagg, father's letting me go to the p-Gala tomorrow!"

"Great," the kwami said, appearing from his hiding place with a piece of cheese clutched in his greedy paws. "I wonder what Ladybug will think of your dad."

"Well, it's not like she's going to know he's… my…" Adrien stopped speaking, his face rapidly paling. "Wait! Ladybug! I can't go as Adrien! I have to go as Chat Noir!"

"Sounds like a pickle," Plagg noted absentmindedly. "Guess you'll have to disappoint him."

"I can't just not go! Father will kill me! Chloe will kill me! Heck, father might actually get the whole party shut down thinking I've been kidnapped or something!"

"Yeah, he is the overprotective sorts."

"But I can't stand-up Ladybug either! If I let her down she'll be so upset… Then she'll kill me!"

"Probably not, doesn't really seem the type…"

"And this damn itch, I just can't get rid of it!"

"Itch?"

Adrien ignored him and took his shirt off.

"Maybe it's this shirt?" he muttered, replacing it.

Above him, Plagg looked thoughtful. Strange itches that didn't go away? He surreptitiously looked at his chosen's bare back, noticing no blemishes or anything out of the ordinary. The kid wasn't sick, Plagg would know before Adrien if that was the case.

Still shirtless, Adrien sat down at his computer, which immediately opened up onto a picture of Ladybug's face.

"The Ladyblog?" Plagg read. "Isn't that the website that girl in your class makes?"

"Yeah…" Adrien swooned, leaning his head on his chin as he stared at a recent picture of Ladybug.

"Urgh… hormones…" Plagg muttered, before his eyes caught something.

Adrien's other hand was lying on his desk, curling his fingers across the surface over and over again. Slight grooves had been worn into the wood, so slight Plagg really had to look hard to see them.

"Hmm," Plagg flew up towards Adrien's bed.

The bed was perfectly made since the kid was a nerd, but it wasn't the duvet that Plagg was examining. The maid that cleaned Adrien's room wouldn't be in for another couple of days so it would still be there… yes! Chew marks and slight rips on the pillowcase!

This itch, the grooves, the pillowcase… it all probably only meant one thing considering Adrien's situation.

Plagg grinned widely.

"Here's an idea, kid," Plagg flew down next to Adrien's head. "You and Ladybug aren't exactly expected to appear and mingle throughout the party, right? You've just got to be there for the speech. So just mosey on in as Adrien, mingle a bit, then when it's time… give them the slip and hello Chat Noir!"

"Could that really work?"

"No-one's going to be looking for you during a speech, not even your weirdo dad. Just be there to support Ladybug, quickly meet everyone, transform back and there you go! Ladybug's happy, daddy's happy and your shrieking harpy girlfriend is happy."

Adrien frowned.

"Chloe's not my girlfriend," he corrected firmly. "…or a shrieking harpy. I'm not sure about this, Plagg. It sounds risky."

"Tell you what," Plagg said, almost whispering. "I'll even alter the suit a little, make it more like nobility. Trust me, girls love a sharp-looking man. Your little lovebug will be all over you."

Adrien's breath hitched at the very thought. Plagg laughed as the boy's face turned red.

"N-nobility?" Adrien stammered once he recovered. "First off, I'm not a noble. Second, how are you going to do that?"

"First, you are a noble, or at least the closest modern equivalent. Second, it's a surprise."

"You're not going to make it inappropriate or anything are you?"

"I'm shocked that you would accuse me of such a thing."

"Because I know you're like super old, Plagg," Adrien declared, poking Plagg's tiny belly. "What you think looks sharp might just make me look like an idiot."

"And you think _you_ know what sharp is?" Plagg countered, folding his stubby paws over his stomach. "You're thirteen, kid, I've forgotten more about wooing the ladies then you'll ever know. Trust your elders on this."

"I'm not a kid, I'm fourteen!"

"…Look kid, she'll be all over you, trust me."

Something in his words seemed to resonate within Adrien, as Plagg knew it would.

"A-alright," Adrien acquiesced. "At least it'll only be Chat who is humiliated."

Plagg frowned.

"If you're going to be like that, then how about we make it interesting? If I'm right and Ladybug is all over you, then you'll give me a whole month's worth of camembert up front."

"Fine," Adrien grinned back confidently. "But if I'm right and she isn't 'all over me', then you've got to go and get your own camembert from the fridge for a month, without bugging me to do it."

"Deal!" Plagg smirked. "Ha-ha, boy are you going to regret this! Or then again… maybe you won't!"

"Sure, whatever Plagg. Just try not to make my new costume too embarrassing ok? I can't wait to not have to get up and get you cheese in the middle of the night."

Adrien picked up his bag and Plagg shot into his jacket pocket, his devious mind already hard at work. He had to prevent himself from cackling as he saw Adrien idly scratch his back again.

'Kid, it may seem like a pain, but you'll thank me afterwards,' Plagg smirked to himself, settling in for a nap. 'After you learn never to make a bet against me, anyway!'

"It's such a huge opportunity, it's so bad you can't come!" Alya said, half excited and half sad for her friend.

"We can't all have parents that work for the mayor," Marinette sat down in her seat next to Alya. "Your mom doesn't mind you being around when she's catering?"

"Nah, apparently the mayor outright said that she could bring me if I wanted to come," Alya explained. "This means I'll get a front row seat to Ladybug and Chat Noir appearing! I can't wait to put it on the Ladyblog, I'll be just like an actual new channel!"

"Congratulations Alya! I promise you that I'll watch it!" Marinette vowed.

Now she really hoped she wouldn't mess up her speech. Having to re-watch herself stammering and stuttering over her words would end her.

In front of them, Nino turned around in his seat.

"You're going to that fancy party, Alya?" he questioned.

"Yep!" Alya responded proudly, hands on her hips. "Front row seats to Ladybug and Chat Noir! I might even get to speak to them!"

She squealed in excitement.

"I cannot wait for tomorrow! It's going to be the best day ever!"

"Oh please," Chloe walked over, Sabrina trailing meekly behind. "The only reason you'll even be allowed through the door is because my father believes in charity."

"Charity?!" Alya exploded. "How dare you!"

"Yes, charity," Chloe repeated with a smirk. "You don't really matter. It's just a kindness, pity, that my father's allowing you to even set foot in the building of your betters."

"Chloe!" Marinette yelled, putting a calming hand on Alya's shoulder. "What is with you?!"

Since meeting Chloe as Ladybug, Marinette had honestly thought something about the girl had changed. The usually narcissistic and cruel person had been practically friendly for a change. However, it just seemed that attitude was reserved for Ladybug.

"With me?" Chloe rounded on her. "What's 'with me' is that someone as utterly banal as her is allowed into such an exclusive gala!"

"My mom is the head chef, that's hardly banal," Alya growled.

Chloe just sniggered.

"Yeah, sure. Head Chef at _my_ papa's restaurant, a small part of _his_ hotel. Do you even have anyone escorting you?"

"Do you?!" Alya bristled, and Marinette could clearly see the trap that Chloe had laid.

Chloe smirked, dramatically sweeping back her hair.

"Of course, Adrien agreed to escort me as his _date_ ," she declared, glancing haughtily towards Marinette.

It was only for a moment, perhaps if she hadn't been looking for it, Marinette wouldn't have spotted it. However, years of dealing with Chloe had familiarized Marinette with her more than she would have liked. That small look of superiority, of triumph that she gave towards Marinette was deliberate. It could only mean one thing.

She _knew_.

Red hot shame flooded through the girl and coloured her cheeks. Having a crush on a boy was nothing to be ashamed of, a part of her knew. Yet Chloe, again it was always Chloe, managed to make her feel like it was regardless.

"There's no way Adrien agreed to go with you," Marinette felt her mouth move with seemingly no input from her.

"Oh, is that so?" Chloe sneered like a shark having scented blood in the water. "Why don't you ask him yourself? Oh, Adrikins!"

Chloe held up her hand and catapulted herself towards the model as soon as he entered the room. Marinette watched him like a hawk for his reaction, even as he grimaced at Chloe's clinginess.

"Hey Chloe," he said brightly. "How are you today?"

"I'm doing just brilliantly now that you're here," she cooed sickeningly as Marinette's fists clenched. "I was just telling everyone about our date to the Gala tomorrow."

"Oh, you were?" he grimaced.

He didn't deny it. Marinette felt her heart lurch painfully. She turned away, even as Chloe hugged Adrien and sent a victorious look towards Marinette. Why? Why would he agree to go with her? She knew they had been friends for some time, but Chloe hadn't even gotten Adrien a birthday present!

Not that he knew she'd given him the scarf, but still!

Alya put a comforting hand on Marinette's back as she slumped in her seat and put her head in her hands. Chloe's victorious smirk was unseen, but she could practically feel it searing through the back of her skull regardless.

Chloe took her seat along with Adrien as Miss Bustier entered the room to begin the lesson. Alya sat down next to Marinette and gave her a consoling pat on the back.

"Hey, it's ok, Mari," Alya whispered. "Maybe this way he'll realise what a bitch she is?"

Marinette just felt herself sink deeper into despair.

"If he hasn't realised now, will he ever?" she responded.

Alya said nothing whilst Marinette slowly sat up to try and pay attention to the lesson. Had it just been a normal party, things might not have been so bad. She could have just sat at home and tried to take her mind off things. But she was Ladybug. She was going to be there. Talking to people, important people. She was going to have to make a speech and she'd have to see Chloe and Adrien together.

What if they kissed? What if they got together at the party?

Marinette felt her fists shake. She felt helpless. This wasn't some kind of akuma she could outwit or beat up. It was people's feelings. If Adrien fell in love with Chloe tomorrow… then that was it.

On top of the pressure she was already feeling, this seemed almost too much to bare. She'd have to be professional, she'd have to be strong and she didn't know if she could put up an act if she had to see Chloe and Adrien together.

"If you really want," Alya sidled over like an unholy angel. "I can make sure Chloe gets as little time with Adrien as possible. I'll be there as well, remember?"

"Y-you'd do that?"

"Of course, girl," Alya smiled deviously. "I owe her some payback anyway. When I'm not fangirling over Ladybug and Chat Noir, I'll do everything in my power to keep them away from one another."

"Thanks, Alya. Just please don't do anything risky."

"Girl, my middle name is 'subtle'."

In front of them, another whispered conversation was occurring. Adrien felt embarrassed from Chloe's clinginess and behaviour, but even that didn't compare to the shame he felt from Nino's gaze beside him.

"Adrien, what the hell?" Nino whispered. "Why would you ever agree to go anywhere with her?"

"My father," Adrien replied out of the corner of his mouth. "I didn't even know I was going until a couple of hours ago."

Nino had met his father first hand and been akumatized for it. There was no further need to comment.

"He literally just sprung this on you? What an asshole – no offense."

"I-It's fine," Adrien said, feeling a little uncomfortable at the admittance. "I'm used to it. Maybe Chloe will act like she does normally rather than she does here."

"She acts differently when it's just you guys?"

"Yeah, she actually seems to care," Adrien admitted.

He had been friends with Chloe for as long as he could remember. She had never acted like she had in school. He'd barely even heard her say a bad word towards anyone.

Nino shook his head. Apparently seeing something that Adrien did not.

"Dude, if someone is acting that differently when they aren't around you, it's not a good thing."

"But she's never acted like that before. Maybe school just brings out the worst in her?"

Nino shook his head.

"Look Adrien, I'm your friend. But if people, both at school and out there, see you getting all buddy-buddy with her, they'll judge you for it. You said there would be a lot of important people at this party, would you really want to sabotage that?"

Nino obviously meant officials, important contacts and the like. However, so many of them were like Chloe it was laughable she'd be singled out. The only thing that went through Adrien's mind was Ladybug. If Chloe acted like she did here and Ladybug associated him with her then she might hate him.

It didn't matter that she didn't know he was Chat Noir. If she hated Adrien Agreste then it would still be him she hated. Adrien put his head in his hands as every half-baked fantasy of charming Ladybug as his supermodel-self turned to dust in his mind. Like she'd ever be impressed by something as shallow as that. Maybe he'd just slink away as soon as he could and transform to avoid the humiliation.

"No…" he admitted. "But there's nothing I can do. I don't want to lose her as a friend, Nino."

"Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions bro," Nino then turned back to the teacher, leaving Adrien to stew in his own thoughts.

'What do I do?'

* * *

"Oh, Tikki, what do I do?!" Marinette panicked at her computer, trying not to think about the next day.

"It's just a speech, Marinette," Tikki responded from her position on a nearby plate of cookies. "You can do it!"

"But it's a speech the whole country will be listening too! No, the whole world! And Adrien!"

She leant back and covered her face in her hands.

"I'm going to look like such an idiot!"

"You won't, Marinette," Tikki reassured her. "Everyone was inspired by what you said to Hawkmoth and you didn't even think about it. With preparation, you'll blow everyone away!"

Marinette looked bleakly at the open blank document on her computer. It had been blank for the last three hours.

"Should I wear make-up?" she wondered. "I mean it is an important event. Or would it just vanish after I transform? But then I'd have to put it on around my mask! But my hair! Should I keep my tails, or is that not formal enough? Maybe I should just let it stay down or maybe curl it a little? Where are my curlers?!"

Tikki rolled her eyes good-naturedly as her chosen continued to fret and pace about.

"I can't believe it, Tikki!" Marinette continued to despair. "The most important event of my life and I have to wear spandex. I can't even wear a dress! I'll look so out of place and silly amongst all these important people. Oh god, do I have to mingle?! What would I even say? What do people even do at these kinds of events?!"

Maybe her chosen was letting this get to her a bit more than she should. Tikki could feel the nervous tension surrounding Marinette like fog on a cold day. But underneath that fog lay the cause of this anxiety; the fear of failure. Tikki wouldn't normally do this, but fear could bring out the worst in people. Perhaps a touch more control over the situation would disperse some of the fear…

"Marinette, you don't have to wear the suit," Tikki pointed out. "The suit was created from your subconscious desires. In your case, it's efficient and allows for maximum movement. If you want I can tweak and change it a little to be more formal."

"Y-you can change it?" Marinette homed in on Tikki, eyes wide and hopeful. "I don't have to wear spandex?"

"It's not actually spandex, but yes I can alter the suit for formality's sake…"

In a flash, Marinette was gone with a loud squeak and began rummaging through her things. Tikki blinked in astonishment as she was presented with a large sketchbook. Marinette opened it up and Tikki saw page after page of dress designs of countless varieties. The only similarity between them all was the red and black colour scheme.

"I've been drawing these in my spare time," Marinette said, possessed by a sudden, almost manic energy. "Just doodling dress and other formal wear designs based on my Ladybug costume. What do you think?"

"These are great, Marinette!" Tikki praised, honestly impressed.

"I was hoping for a dress like this one," Marinette began, pointing to a design, one of the last ones. "But to adapt for the mask we can alter the shape here. One of the main challenges is the combination of colours. Red and black are rather sensual colours and I don't want the dress to look slutty, but I also want to avoid looking like a kid. So, what I thought…"

It took two more hours before Marinette had a design she was happy with. Tikki had pointed out that she couldn't have a book with Ladybug's dress designs in it, so they had designed a new one on a large scrap piece of paper based off her previous designs.

The girl was practically skipping around the room in glee.

"I can't wait to try it on, Tikki!" she danced, laughing. "Now if only I could advertise it for myself! That would be great, right? Designing clothes then modelling them as Ladybug?"

Tikki giggled.

"It was no problem. Maybe now you can finish your speech?"

"I will!" the nervous Marinette had faded from memory. "It'll be the best speech ever! You can count on me, Tikki!"

She sat down in her chair and began to type. Tikki, seeing how late it was, decided to take a nap. There was plenty of time to amend and write the speech tomorrow before the party. Tikki slowly nodded off to the rhythmic sound of Marinette's fingers tapping away at her keyboard.

When the kwami awoke it was dark outside. The lights inside the room had been turned off and all was still. Except for the sounds of tapping.

Tikki rose from Marinette's bed and flew over to where her chosen was still at the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard. A quick glance at the clock indicated seven hours had passed.

"Marinette, you're still working on the speech?" Tikki asked, hovering next to her shoulder. "Marinette?"

The girl was focused on the screen, muttering under her breath to herself as she typed things out. Tikki glanced at the screen to see what it was that had her so entranced. A small part of her dreaded that it was an akuma, yet all that was present was an open document. Words continued to appear across it as Marinette typed.

Tikki frowned. The document had eighty-eight pages. Had she been constantly typing? How could she write so much in only a few hours?

Marinette's eyes were sharp and focused, there was no indication of possession or hypnosis. Most akuma left a physical mark somewhere when they controlled someone, yet this time there was nothing.

C-could it be? It seemed unlikely. It was way too early for something like this to be happening…

"Marinette," Tikki said kindly, nudging her head. "Come on. That's more than enough."

No response.

The kwami sighed and dove under the table and unplugged the computer. The screen went dark and Marinette jolted like she'd received an electric shock.

"Marinette," Tikki repeated firmly.

Marinette blinked rapidly, as if waking up from a sleep.

"W-wha-?" she murmured, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "What happened? Did I fall asleep?"

"You need to go to bed, Marinette," Tikki advised gently. "You've got a big day tomorrow."

"But speech…" she yawned, stretching her arms. "Got to… write it…"

She slowly pressed the on button for her computer screen again and again. The screen stayed black.

"Tikki, why… not working…" she closed her eyes, her head falling forwards.

"Go to bed now, Marinette," Tikki answered gently. "We can write it in the morning."

With a half-groan, half-protest; Marinette stood up and trudged over towards her bed.

Tikki hovered over her worriedly as she climbed her ladder and passed out face-first onto her bed, still fully clothed.

The kwami giggled as her chosen mumbled in her sleep and snuggled deeply with her large cat plushie she kept on her bed. Within moments, soft snores rang throughout the room.

Tikki's gaze then turned towards the computer and then the sketchbook utterly filled with sketches of potential costumes. She was supposed to write a speech, but instead had written a novel. She had filled a sketchbook in a couple of hours trying to think of a good dress to wear. She had been in an almost trance-like state and exhausted herself doing so.

The kwami wasn't sure whether to be nervous or proud of the girl. Out of all the Ladybugs there had been, none had adapted as fast to the Miraculous as Marinette seemed to be doing.

Sudden uncontrollable outbursts of creativity weren't supposed to happen this early. Could this be dangerous? Tikki internally debated going to Master Fu, but decided against it.

Unlike many other Ladybugs, Marinette had access to plenty of paper as well as a computer. Maybe these outbursts were caused by her easy access to these materials. Giving her hobbies an easy creative outlet could have caused this to happen early.

But if anything else happened, she'd send her to Master Fu. It would be worth making sure nothing was going wrong and putting Marinette at unnecessary risk. She wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past.

Not again.

* * *

Adrien drew in a shaky breath as the limo drove onwards towards the gala. His tuxedo had been fitted to him perfectly, yet the collar still seemed far too tight no matter how much he loosened it. He was going to be seeing Ladybug tonight with Chloe of all people on his arm. What Nino said rattled around in his head. Would she judge him for being friends with someone like Chloe?

Then again, Chloe had been practically falling over herself in front of Ladybug last time. Maybe she wouldn't act out or belittle anyone in front of her. Then there was also Plagg's bet to consider…

"You know, Adrikins," Chloe said, idly filing her nails in the seat opposite him. "You should try to smile. If you frown you'll get wrinkles."

The girl was wearing a strapless yellow dress that matched her hair with black patterns woven intricately into the fabric. Her make-up was slightly overdone as usual, but with an added red flare around her eyes. A flare, Adrien realised, to subtly mimic Ladybug's mask.

When his father had said he would accompany her as a date, he hadn't expected to have to ride in the limousine with her and only her. Apparently, his father had better things to do then enter the party with his own son.

"Sorry, Chloe," he said, wringing his hands together. "I guess I'm just nervous. Father says I have to make contacts and I've never done that before…"

Chloe scoffed before she pursed her lips and her eyes locked with his.

"Well there's no reason to be nervous," she responded, waving her hands as if she could brush away his concerns. "Papa has taken me to hundreds of events like this. There's nothing to it; just say what comes naturally, have some wine and food. I'll be with you the whole time; you'll enjoy yourself."

Adrien smiled slightly.

"Thanks Chloe," he said. "That means a lot to me. Father's never let me attend a gala before."

"No problem," Chloe smiled, her eyes becoming lidded as she put her hand high up on his leg. "It means a lot to me as well."

Adrien suddenly jerked away, his leg out of Chloe's reach. A brief look of hurt flashed across her face, before she saw the look on his face.

"Adrien, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," he stammered, leaning hard into the back of his seat.

That itch from earlier was back with a vengeance. It was like a thousand tiny spiders were tap-dancing across his entire back. He tried to roll his shoulders to alleviate some of it, but it did literally nothing for him.

"I-I think one of the tailors left in a needle," he lied, searching for an excuse.

Dimly, he was aware of Plagg's body shaking with laughter inside his inner pocket.

"Ergh, you should fire them," Chloe snarled, her attractive face turning foul. "Imagine if that had happened in front of someone important, your father's brand would be a laughing stock!"

"I-it's not a big deal," Adrien tried to defend them, his back still twitching painfully. "I-I'm fine."

Plagg had said if something was wrong with him, then the kwami would tell him. Yet he hadn't said anything. What was this weird itch?!

Adrien tried to scratch it with his hands and it only alleviated the itch to tolerable levels. Between Chloe's behaviour, Plagg's bet and this strange itch, Adrien was positive this night was going to be a disaster for both him and Chat Noir.

"We're here," the gruff voice of their driver stated.

The limo jerked slightly as they pulled into the place. Chloe gave Adrien a smile.

"There'll be cameras," she instructed. "So, it's important to give a good first impression. Get out first then open the door for me. As your date, that'll make you look chivalrous for the audience."

Adrien felt his throat go dry.

"This sounds complicated."

"I'll guide you every step of the way," Chloe smiled widely as the limo pulled to a stop.

It was the young supermodel Adrien Agreste that greeted the world as he stepped out of the limo first. He then opened the door for his date, Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of the Mayor of Paris. She linked her arm with his and the two walked down towards the building, smiling serenely as the flashes of cameras lit the way forwards.

Flash photography wasn't allowed inside and the security was tight. Adrien walked by several armed security guards before they reached the main hall where the gala was to be held.

As expected, the inside was beyond marvellous. Huge two-story tall chandeliers hung from the elaborately painted ceiling. They lit up the massive room and reflected off the white walls with a golden glow. A polished marble staircase descended down the door where they were standing and into the throng below. Long tables laid end to end covered in a spotless white cloth and laden with wine and champagne glasses already full and free for the taking. Behind the table stood waiters ready to serve, themselves wearing flawless black and white uniforms and friendly smiles on their faces.

In the middle of the room was an array of people. Some were government officials, others were big-name reporters and there were even a couple of people wearing what Adrien recognised as military stripes. The rest were wearing tuxedos and various dresses of differing shades of colour.

Chloe gave their names to the doorman, who cleared his throat.

"Presenting, Monsieur Adrien Agreste and Mademoiselle Chloe Bourgeois," he declared, his voice somehow loud enough to pierce the general din of the building.

There were a few glances and some 'aws' from the crowd, before they were completely ignored by them. Famous they might well be; they were still two fourteen-year olds coasting mostly off of their parent's renown.

Of course, Chloe didn't take such a dismissal lightly.

Adrien sweated nervously as Chloe led him down the staircase and confidently towards these people, all deep within their own discussions about politics, money and, from what he could hear, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Suddenly he felt very worried.

"Ah, Chloe! My little angel!" Andre Bourgeois exclaimed, opening his arms in delight at the sight of his daughter. "And Adrien Agreste as well! My how you've grown, my boy!"

"Thank you, sir," Adrien replied politely, unable to hide his smile.

"Unlike me, I only grow outwards nowadays, ha-ha!" the mayor continued as the two people he was talking to also laughed good-naturedly.

Both were middle-aged and dark-haired. The much larger one was wearing a light formal military uniform with an overcoat and the other a very expensive Gabriel brand tuxedo. The military man was smooth shaven, fit and had a chin that jutted forwards like a gun barrel whereas the other was far more rotund and had a small beard.

"Oh papa, you're so funny!" Chloe laughed. "I don't believe I've met your acquaintances. It's a pleasure to meet you, sirs."

She politely shook each of their hands.

"Chloe, Adrien, this is General Blaise Martin," the mayor introduced them.

"It's a pleasure," the large man said in a deep voice, holding out his hand to shake.

Adrien swore he could feel his bones grinding against one another as his hand was almost lost inside the larger man's.

"And this, I'm sure you know," the mayor continued. "Is the Minister of the Interior, Michel Rousseau."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Monsieur Agreste," the man shook Adrien's hand much less forcefully than the general had.

"Um, thanks. It's wonderful to meet you too, but just Adrien is fine, Monsieur Agreste is my father."

"Ha-ha, of course Adrien!" Michel cried, exuberantly patting him on the back. "I'm a long-time customer of your Father. I used to have him design the uniforms for my staff back when I was in the wine business. That was around thirty years ago now, ha-ha!"

"I'm sure he remembers those times fondly," Adrien lied, finding it hard to think of his father as fond of anything.

"You kids look like you have good heads on your shoulders," General Martin suddenly said. "You probably don't think much of this superhero business then?"

"Of course not," Chloe trilled, although behind her back she gripped Adrien's arm tightly. "I'm sure the government can sort these strange creatures out."

"Exactly!" Michel beamed. "Not that those two are useless, but we feel they would be better working with us then against us."

"W-working with you?" Adrien felt his mouth say. "What do you mean?"

"Well we can't have people taking matters into their own hands," Michel explained patiently. "No matter how effective they might be. Our solution is to have the two of them conscripted."

"C-conscripted?" Adrien repeated dumbly, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.

"Yes," General Martin said sternly. "Assuming they are French Nationals, once we know who they are, they will be immediately conscripted under my command into a special task force to help deal with this Hawkmoth threat."

"Assuming?" Chloe questioned. "You mean you'll make sure?"

"Of course, we have to know who they are," Michel said like it was obvious. "How else can we hold them accountable? Isn't it true, Andre, that the repairs for St-Andrew street are still undergoing after the fight there?"

"Well yes, but so far that's the only exception," the mayor said. "Ladybug has restored the damage after every event except for that one."

Adrien remembered that fight. When he had destroyed most of the street with Cataclysm to save Ladybug from that lock-based akuma. She had never used her Lucky Charm, so there hadn't been any way to fix the damage.

"That's another topic we'll be questioning them on," General Martin stated, his beady eyes narrowing. "About their 'superhuman' abilities and where they came from."

That would mean telling them about Plagg. A topic the little kwami was also against, judging by his uncomfortable squirming in Adrien's jacket. Adrien had read enough comics and watched enough superhero shows to understand that that wouldn't be a good idea.

It seemed that things weren't quite as clear-cut as he and Ladybug had expected. The minister seemed to recognise that they were necessary, but they wanted them under their control rather than just running about under their own power. It was a dangerous idea and somehow, he doubted Plagg or Ladybug's kwami would be happy about them being under the military's thumb.

"Well, what loyal French citizens would refuse to work with their government on such a matter?" Adrien heard the minister say as he returned focus onto the conversation.

"Perhaps there's another reason?" Chloe suggested. "I'm sure Ladybug knows what she's doing."

"Ah yes, you've met her before, haven't you?" Michel remembered, his eyes immediately focusing on the girl. "Have you spoken to her often?"

Chloe opened her mouth to comment but before she could, Andre stepped forwards and interrupted her.

"Now let's not sully the evening with business so early!" he commented. "Why Michel you've only just got here! You haven't even had a drink yet!"

The mayor put a friendly arm around the silently startled minister and began to lead him away towards the table.

"I had some of my finest brought up from my personal collection, very special – from the 1800s in fact. You must have some! It's absolutely divine! General, please come with us! Last we met you gave me some of that merlot of yours! I guarantee this will make you jealous."

The General gave a guarded look towards Chloe and briefly Adrien before following after the mayor and the minister.

"Hmmph, well that was rude!" Chloe harrumphed, finally letting go of Adrien's arm. "They must know that I'm Ladybug's best friend, right?"

' _I'm_ Ladybug's best friend!' Adrien thought, ignoring the small stab of anger at Chloe's comment.

"I think your father just wanted to show off his new wine – old wine."

"Papa did get out some expensive stuff for this gala," Chloe remembered, before scoffing. "Though not _the_ most expensive. He's saving that for my birthday."

She folded her arms proudly. She was then completely taken off-guard by the loud voice by her ear.

"What's this about old whines?!"

Chloe shrieked and spun around.

"You!"

"Yep, me!" Alya grinned, a glass of wine in her hand. "Nice to see you Adrien! Chloe."

Adrien smiled back at her. He may not have really known Alya but she was wearing a lovely, plain red evening dress with a sash around the middle. It probably didn't even cost a tenth of the amount that Chloe's or Adrien's outfits cost, but it was flattering on her frame regardless.

Not that that mattered to Chloe.

"Alya," Chloe spat, eyes narrowed into ugly slits. "I'm surprised they let you through the door in that. Or did you come in through the servant entrance like your mother?"

Adrien grit his teeth, paralysed with indecision. He couldn't muster the courage to call Chloe out. Not here of all places after she had been so nice to him! But that remark was uncalled for. Why did she hate Alya so much? Why did she act like this?!

Alya, to her credit, took the insult in her stride. Her eyes briefly flickered towards Adrien before turning back to Chloe. The smile she gave the richer girl was almost predatory.

"Of course not, Chloe," Alya leaned forwards, her wine glass tilting dangerously. "However, I couldn't help but notice that _gorgeous_ dress you're wearing. It looks exactly like the one featured last year in that fashion magazine, L'Officiel."

Chloe twitched.

"Last year? You must be mistaken," she scoffed. "This is only the latest in autumn fashion. Not that a pauper like you would understand."

"Hmm, no looks exactly like the dress," Alya mused, looking at a picture on her phone, before showing it to Chloe. "See?"

Chloe's mouth opened and closed silently in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Chloe," Alya's grin was like a shark. "I'm sure Adrien's father won't judge you for it. It's not like he's a huge fashion designer or something."

Chloe's face went completely red with fury.

"Would any of you children care for a drink?" a nearby waiter asked, carrying a tray of drinks in his hand.

"No!" she snarled, pushing past the waiter and knocking him over.

The drinks smashed onto the floor and spilt everywhere. Chloe didn't even look back as she stormed away, leaving Adrien alone with the smug Alya and the shocked waiter.

Before he could offer any help, a couple of other waiters swooped in and escorted the drenched man away. He and Alya were sent away from where the broken glass littered the floor as people immediately came in to clean it up.

Adrien briefly debated going after his childhood friend. On one hand, Chloe looked very upset, but on the other hand he definitely needed to get away from her to transform.

Alya put her phone away and gave Adrien a smile.

"So… Adrien, fancy seeing you here?"

"Oh, er… yeah, I mean my invite was kind of last minute…"

Alya gave him an indecipherable look. For some reason Adrien felt like he was being sized up.

"So… um, did you come with anybody?" he scrambled for something to say.

Alya was Marinette's friend, right? So maybe he could befriend her as well?

"No, I came by myself," Alya answered matter-of-factly, before leaning towards Adrien. "What are your intentions towards Marinette?"

"M-Marinette?" Adrien blinked, completely blindsided by this question. "Um… I want to be her friend? I mean, I thought we were friends - I mean not close friends obviously, but better friends – I hope."

"Hmm. Ok, just wondering. Marinette wanted to come tonight, but couldn't make it. I'm sure you could have taken her with you as your date," she nudged him with an elbow.

That would have been nice. Marinette was a kind person, she probably would have loved to be here and he wouldn't have to worry about her irritating people.

"If only," he smiled sadly. "But my father would never have allowed it. I have to 'make connections' tonight. I'm certain he's going to interrogate me about it tomorrow."

"I've never met your father," Alya noted. "Did he come here with you?"

Adrien averted his eyes.

"No, he had some work to finish up," he internally winced at how pathetic the excuse sounded even to his own ears. "But I'm sure he'll be here soon!"

Alya gave him a sad smile of her own, damn that itch was back again.

"Well I'll wish you luck," she said. "I've got certain someones I'm waiting for as well."

"Who?"

"Ladybug and Chat Noir of course!" Alya grinned, showing unabashed enthusiasm as she waved her phone around. "I'm going to be livestreaming this straight to my blog! I've been planning this for ages; the viewer-count will be insane."

Adrien smiled at her eagerness. She also reminded him that he needed to get away and transform quickly.

"Well I think I'll go to the restroom-," he began, before a large hand clasped onto his back.

"Ah, Adrien my boy!" Mayor Bourgeois greeted once again, having left the minister and general over by one of the drinks tables. "I'm glad to see you're still here. And who is this delightful young lady?"

"Alya Césaire," she shook his hand without missing a beat. "Amateur reporter, I'm in Adrien's class in school. I also run the Ladyblog."

"Oh wonderful! Well there's plenty to report about today!" the mayor replied pleasantly. "But do forgive me, what is the Ladyblog?"

Alya practically vibrated with excitement at the chance to explain to the mayor about her beloved blog. She immediately erupted into an explanation about how she braved the fights and followed rumours to get the drop on any akuma fights.

As she elucidated, Adrien tried to slowly edge away from the conversation. He needed to transform and soon before Ladybug showed up…

"Adrikins, there you are!" Chloe latched onto his arm like a blonde limpet.

'Yeah, right where you left me! Shocking, isn't it?!' he barely kept himself from screaming at her.

"Let's go get some champagne together!" she cawed, trying to drag him away.

"Princess!" the mayor spotted his daughter. "I've been looking for you. Have you met Alya Césaire, she's in your class, right?"

The look Chloe shot Alya was nothing short of terrifying. Alya's smug look didn't help matters.

"Yeah we all know each other!" Adrien piped up, his voice squeaking from the glares the two girls sent his way. "Alya's new like me and joined at the beginning of the school year."

"Wonderful!" the mayor smiled. "She was just telling me how she hopes to get an interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Chloe scoffed.

"Like Ladybug would ever agree to an interview with someone like you."

"Oh?" Alya raised an eyebrow, only the tight grip she had on her wine glass giving away her anger. "And why is that?"

"Obviously because Ladybug has standards."

Before Alya could cut in, the mayor spoke up.

"I'm sure you can both ask what she thinks in a moment," he said, putting away his phone. "Because I've just been informed that Ladybug has been spotted approaching the building."

Adrien felt his breath leave his body, Alya turned towards the door and Chloe let out an excited gasp. Ladybug was here? He needed to be there with her. He needed to get away and transform, but Chloe still had a tight grip on his arm. Maybe once Ladybug distracted her, he could get away and transform? Chloe had been all over her last time they met…

Any further thoughts or plans completely left his mind as far behind him the doorman spoke and all conversation in the hall slammed to a halt.

"Presenting, the Miraculous Ladybug!"

It was like a gunshot had gone off next to his ears. All sound was covered with a strange high-pitched buzzing, like his brain needed to be rebooted. Adrien swallowed nervously, what little moisture that was in his throat and mouth evaporating from the sudden heat that enveloped his entire body.

Why had it never occurred to him that Ladybug might also decide to dress up?

Gone was the usual red and black-spotted spandex suit and in its place, was something stunning. A gorgeous flowing red dress, intermingled with intricate black designs that from a distance resembled simple spots, yet when she approached were animals curled up and dancing with one another. As she descended the stairs, the dress seemed to flow with a mind of its own, occasionally exposing a sliver of bare leg that sent Adrien's blood pressure sky rocketing.

"Woah," he heard Alya mutter, already discreetly snapping pictures.

The dress was strapless, exposing her bare shoulders and muscular upper arms. Long red gloves covered most of her forearms and along with her usual mask were the only aspect that remained from her regular outfit. The whole impression reminded him of something his Father might have designed before his mother disappeared. When his designs had still radiated joy and soul rather than the crushing cold-cut efficiency they did today.

"She's beautiful…" said a muted whisper from beside him.

Adrien could barely even turn his head away, but the stars in Chloe's eyes at the sight of Ladybug nearly knocked him off his feet.

He had never seen Chloe look at anyone like that.

Ladybug had barely reached the floor before she was swarmed by people like locusts to a piece of wheat. They clamoured around her, chattering incessantly and firing off questions; each one trying to strike up a conversation with the superhero. She was there amongst them, a rock standing calmly amongst the tempest of people around her.

Her bright blue eyes swept over the hall and, for a brief moment, locked onto Adrien's. Her eyes halted for an instant that seemed like a thousand years, before her attention was taken elsewhere. The itch grew incredibly uncomfortable and Adrien had to grit his teeth and shove his hands in his pockets to resist making a fool of himself.

Chloe and Alya surged forwards to try and get through the crowd to talk to her as Adrien stood where he was, suddenly forgotten.

"Wow, she's quite the stunner, huh Adrien?" the mayor elbowed him in the side playfully.

"O-oh, yes, very!" he floundered,

The man who had known him almost his whole life gave Adrien a knowing look. He felt his face grow hot. Andre chuckled.

"Keep your chin up, son. Ladies love a man with confidence," he advised with a wink and a slap on the back. "I'll put in a good word for you, ha-ha!"

The mayor walked off to greet her whilst Adrien mellowed in his own embarrassment. Was he that obvious? What must Ladybug think of some dumb kid making eyes at her?

A sharp pain in his chest made him jump.

"Hey!" hissed Plagg from his inner pocket. "What are you doing?"

"You bit me!" Adrien hissed back, eyes wide at the sheer weirdness of Plagg's actions. "You actually bit me!"

"Go transform! Everyone's distracted!" Plagg's tone bordered no argument. "It's a real pain to change the suit, you know. And I want to win that bet."

Oh right, the bet. The humiliation was just never-ending tonight, wasn't it? With a huff, Adrien looked around for somewhere to transform.

* * *

'Just don't look at him, Marinette,' Ladybug said to herself as she shook the hand of yet another dignitary she had never heard of. 'Just don't look at Adrien and you won't get distracted. Don't think about how amazing he looks. Don't think about that beautifully tailored suit hugging his body. Don't do it - you're doing it! NO!'

"It's an absolute pleasure to see you here, Ladybug," the mayor spoke, shaking her hand with gusto.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Monsieur Bourgeois," she replied, very deliberately avoiding the part of the room where Adrien was standing.

If she looked again, she wouldn't be able to stop looking. It wouldn't help Ladybug's reputation if she was caught ogling a supermodel during the party. She could already imagine the headlines. There's no way she'd ever be able to show her face again, then Chat Noir wouldn't be able to purify the akuma without her, then Hawkmoth would take over the world…

'Calm down, Marinette,' she told herself, taking a deep breath. 'You can do this. I can do this!'

It was all incredibly overwhelming. This entire place was unbelievable. Not even the mayor's office had so much gold. It made her feel… inadequate, like she had snuck in here without anyone knowing. Everyone tried to start a conversation, to shake or kiss her hand. Reporters, who weren't allowed to bring in recording equipment, clamoured against each other like a swarm of bees to try and get some exclusive words from her.

She politely waved them away, even as they pushed with varying levels of rudeness until a very familiar face suddenly broke through. Ladybug's eyes met with the sparkling orbs of her best friend, Alya.

"Ladybug, Ladybug!" she squealed, waving madly despite being only two feet away. "It's so incredible to see you! Is Chat Noir on his way?!"

Ladybug smiled and opened her mouth.

"Out of my way, peasant!" Chloe elbowed Alya out of the way. "Ladybug, Ladybug! Who did your dress?! It's marvellous, and your hair is amazing and-!"

Ladybug's smile became strained.

"Sweetie," the mayor said, his voice had the effect of a bucket of cold water. "Be polite. Ladybug is busy right now. Once the grown-ups have had their chat, then you can ask Ladybug your questions."

"Yes, papa," Chloe acquiesced, looking down sadly.

"I'll answer questions after the speech," Ladybug declared, looking deliberately towards Alya as well.

Both Chloe and Alya perked up at that. Of course, the rest of the reporters seemed to hear as well. The mayor put an arm around Ladybug and guided her away through the crowd. The chaos from before had died down and people had begun talking with another again. However, now there was an excited energy. The air was charged like just before a lightning strike. A strike that would come after she'd said her speech.

"Ladybug, let me introduce you to some very good _friends_ of mine," Andre spoke, guiding her through the crowd as she shook hands and the flashes of numerous cameras nearly blinded them both. "This is the Minister of the Interior, Michel Rousseau and General Blaise Martin."

The General stood behind the much smaller minister like a green moving wall. Yet the Minister stepped forwards first.

"Charmed to meet you," Michel said, taking her hand and kissing it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ladybug," General said curtly, having to bend over to shake her hand.

Ladybug gave them both a smile, noting the hard lines in the General's face.

"Likewise," she released the General's hand. "No matter our differences, I would hope that we settle some matters today."

"Well, we do have a proposition for you," Michel said cryptically, with a saccharine smile.

"But, it would be best to make the offer when Chat Noir is also here," General Martin added, his voice deep enough to be mistaken for thunder. "Is your partner, Chat Noir, on the way?"

"He will be here soon," Ladybug promised, hoping she wasn't wrong. "Something came up."

They had both agreed to meet up and enter together, but then he had messaged her quickly this morning to tell her that he would be a little late. So, she had decided to just get things over with and enter on her own.

"Well, in my opinion there's nothing more important than meeting up with a lovely lady," Michel stated, his eyes roaming. "When is he due to arrive?"

Now that was a question Ladybug couldn't answer. Chat's message had been brief and vague, so she didn't know when he'd be here.

"Chat Noir will arrive when best suits him. What is your proposition?"

"Suits, ha! Nice one my lady."

Ladybug spun around only to catch Chat Noir's smug smile as he landed. Relief flooded through her and it took quite a bit more willpower than she would admit to not hug him.

Instead of the usual leather-looking suit, he was wearing a much more ordinary looking one – still black of course. All smooth straight lines and neat hard edges. Yet it somehow also seemed older somehow… more mature. His cat ears were still there on his head, twitching slightly. Along with his golden bell, which seemed to shine even more brightly in place of a bowtie. Around his collar seemed to be a line of black fur that artfully contrasted with his wild blonde hair. In all, aspiring fashion designer as she was, Chat Noir looked… good.

Really good in fact.

He looked serious, mature and ready to be here. Ladybug smiled back, relieved to see her partner. His grin widened in response and he bowed low, gently holding her hand and delicately kissing the top.

"My lady," he smirked. "What a purr-fect, meow-vellous dress that you're wearing."

So much for maturity.

Ladybug's hand gently left his grip and touched his chin. His face grew wondrous as she drew him back up to a standing position. She then playfully batted him on the nose.

"Down, Chaton."

His ears perked up and she saw his tail – it was still there like always – flutter excitedly behind him.

"Why, my lady, when I saw your incredible outfit I couldn't help but appreciate it," Chat responded. "As did everyone else I'm sure."

"You're certainly right there…" she muttered, aware of plenty of the less-than-subtle stares that she had received upon entering.

It was something of a mixed bag. Her confidence in both her designing and her own body had soared as she saw the jaws of everyone in the room collectively drop. She didn't have much material to work with at home and a rather underpowered sewing machine. Knowing that she had the skill to design something beautiful, if not the capability to actually make it, was certainly a relief.

Of course, her enhanced hearing – not as good as Chat's but still far above normal – could pick up the rather rude comments being muttered under some people's breaths. Jealousy, anger, lust and disgust were all present, though thankfully nearer the back of the crowd. No-one had said anything to her face.

Chat's smile faltered, his ears twitching reflexively. Ladybug knew that if she could hear the comments, then he most certainly could. His hand squeezed hers and she squeezed back, exchanging small smiles between one another.

"Ahem-ahem!" Michel coughed, causing them to turn towards him. "How exactly did you come in? I didn't hear the doorman."

Chat laughed and rubbed the back of his head, reluctantly letting go of Ladybug's hand.

"I just asked him not to say anything," he claimed. "I don't need an introduction. I'm just here to support Ladybug."

"You definitely deserve an introduction," Ladybug corrected him sternly.

"Aw Bugaboo," he smirked infuriatingly. "I didn't know you cared…"

"Ahem!" the Minister coughed again. "Chat Noir, a pleasure to meet you, despite your lateness."

"Well you know what they say," Chat began shaking the minister's offered hand. "A cat is never late, nor is he early; he arrives precisely when meowns too."

Ladybug covered her sigh and immediately cut in as she saw the minister's face turn dour.

"Chat Noir, this is the Minister of the Interior Michel Rousseau and this is General Blaise Martin. General, Minister, this is my partner, Chat Noir."

"A pleasure," the General took the superhero's hand. "To finally meet you, Chat Noir."

"Likewise," Chat grinned strangely, shaking the general's hand with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Strangely, beads of sweat appeared on the general's forehead and he rather quickly withdrew his hand and clasped it politely behind his back.

"Is something wrong, General?" Chat asked with faux innocence.

"I'm fine," he practically growled much to Ladybug's puzzlement. "Michel, can we please?"

"Ah yes, well Ladybug, Chat Noir," Michel began. "Me and my associate here have an offer for you both."

"We would like the both of you to work with us, rather than against us," the General declared, making sure that he spoke loudly enough people nearby would hear.

Ladybug lit up. This was her chance!

"Yes, so would we!" she said, making Chat do a double take.

"My lady?"

"Hawkmoth is dangerous and the akumas he creates can strike anywhere at any time," Ladybug continued. "When there is an emergency we need you to evacuate civilians and sound an alarm so that we can know the whereabouts of the akuma immediately."

"W-well of course, but that's not quite what we wanted to say-," the minister managed to get out, before being interrupted.

"It's also important that we make it clear to everyone not to interfere. Akumas can have any variety of powers and Chat Noir and I can't be distracted if people are making themselves targets by trying to fight."

"I understand, Ladybug, but that's not…"

"Not to mention the akuma themselves are also innocents. Any attempt, even if successful, will only result in more unnecessary injuries."

Ladybug continued to talk, not letting either General or Minister get a word in edgewise. Behind her, Chat Noir smiled smugly at the General.

The General frowned. Michel was still trying to say something, yet Ladybug was in full explanation mode. Parts of her speech that she had spent the entire day writing and rehearsing with Tikki came out towards the unsuspecting minister.

General Martin's fists clenched.

"You're not listening!" he roared, losing his patience. "You and Chat Noir will work for us! That's what he meant."

"What?" Ladybug blinked. "Why would we do that?"

"Because then we can stop those monsters!" the General declared. "We can keep the people safe, catch this Hawkmoth character and if you disagree we'll do it without you!"

"Blaise!" Michel cried out, alarmed.

"Those monsters are innocent people," Ladybug argued. "And work for you? We're already working with you!"

"They aren't responsible for their emotions," Chat agreed. "No-one is."

"If you won't then there is nothing more to discuss," the General decided. "I'm sick of all this pomp and dress-up!"

He stormed off.

"G-General!" the minister stammered after him. "Excuse me!"

He immediately followed after the large man, leaving the superheroes and the mayor standing alone.

Chat coughed.

"Well then," he clapped his hands together. "Anything to eat?"

Ladybug's shoulders dropped along with the tension.

"What was all that about?" she wondered. "Chat, did you say something to him?"

"Me, never!" he said, scandalised. "I just think he had a short tem-paw."

She groaned.

"One day, your jokes will be the death of you."

"Regardless, I must purr-sist."

"I shall leave you two for now," the mayor said, offering a kind if slightly strained smile. "When it's time for the speeches, I will let everyone know."

"Thank you, Monsieur Bourgeois," Ladybug smiled, curtsying.

"Yeah, thanks!" Chat added, ignoring Ladybug's whispered command to bow.

"It's my pleasure," he said, amused, before walking away into the crowd.

"Chat, could you please take this a bit more seriously?" Ladybug asked.

"I'm taking this very seriously," Chat said, his ears drooping. "I'm just acting like I normally do."

"We have to impress and show everyone that we're competent and can be trusted!" she hissed. "Could you please take things a bit more seriously?"

"We don't need these guys though," he argued. "They're just going to get in the way and try to trick or cheat us. And this place is so boring!"

"You've only just got here. Plus, we don't know that for sure," Ladybug argued, though her tone sounded weak even to herself. "We have to try, Chat Noir. If they don't listen, we'll keep doing what we've always done. If they do listen then it only helps us."

Chat thought about it.

"Alright, I trust you, my lady. Now how about we have some wine?" he added with a cheeky smile.

Ladybug returned it and the two made their way towards the buffet tables.

"Oh? I thought you'd already had plenty to drink," she joked. "Those puns were even worse than normal."

"How you wound me, Bugaboo!" he gestured towards his heart theatrically. "As if I could ever even muster the will to raise a glass of wine to my lips without your illustrious presence."

Ladybug rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

"Somehow I think you'd manage."

"E-excuse me, Ladybug, Chat Noir?"

The two superheroes turned to see Alya standing there with a large grin on her face.

"Al- I mean, hello?" Ladybug quickly corrected, hoping no-one noticed her mess up. "It's good to see you again."

"Y-yes," Alya squealed. "It's good to see you too! Both of you, I mean! Chat Noir, the way you jumped down from the ceiling was incredible!"

Sweat dripped down his face as Ladybug's glare turned towards him.

"Jumped down from the ceiling?" she growled.

"He-he," he chuckled. "Ok, maybe I didn't really come in through the front door?"

Ladybug harrumphed.

"Sorry," Alya looked distraught. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's fine," Ladybug said. "It doesn't really matter. What is it you wanted?"

"I just wanted-."

 _BOOM!_

The room shook and lights flashed. Insane laughter filled the room and the guests cried in confusion in fear as the main door burst open.

"I-I-I-introducing," the terrified doorman stammered, a hand around his neck hoisting him off his feet. "M-M-Monsieur Gârçhon!"

What had once been a waiter now stood seven feet high with red eyes and a classic waiters uniform in blood red.

Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly got into battle positions in front of Alya. They reached for their weapons only to realise…

"Chat," Ladybug murmured, eyes growing wide with terror. "My yo-yo isn't here."

"My baton's missing too," Chat whispered back.

The two weapon-less heroes looked up at the akuma, who locked eyes with them, a sickening grin spread across his face.

* * *

 **A/N: There's the latest chapter. Please let me know what you guys think in the reviews. What you liked, what you didn't like etc.**

 **Responses:**

 **Daisy Rhine:** I'm glad you liked the Alya and Marinette part. I'm hoping to focus on the relationship strains caused by being a superhero as well in this fic.

 **Tsukihime12:** Thank you, hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

 **Rosalind13:** Happy you liked all those things! Adrien and Chloe's relationship is complicated and I want to explore that dynamic. Marinette doing what basically most thirteen year olds would do and pretending to be popular is something i feel most people would do to try and look cool in front of her new friend. I got the impression from Origins that Marinette wasn't very popular. Although not disliked she doesn't put herself out there like she gains the courage to do later in canon. I want to try and have her evolve from one state to the other through this fic.

 **Guest:** I like that you picked up on that! Marinette is a teenager and like most teenagers she wants to be liked by people. Now that she and Alya are proper friends they'll both be able to be more truthful with one another. Tikki's lesson will be relevant for much of this fic - after all with akuma things aren't always what they seem. Adrien is also rather confused about himself. He is certain he is falling for Ladybug despite not knowing who she is and is beginning to think about what that implies about himself. Nice review! You picked up on alot of stuff! I'm very happy when people do that since I get way alot of good feedback! I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

 **kobii:** Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

 **NariStacieLin2364:** Thank you! I'm trying to keep the tone kind of light and Ladybug and Chat's banter is perfect for doing that.

 **JustWondering:** TKOR isn't dead. I just needed a break from some of my other work. Sometimes you need to write something new. It should be the next thing I update though, so be ready.

 **Thanks everyone for reading! Hope you enjoy the next chapter where the Gala gets finished and Ladybug and Chat Noir have to deal with fighting an akuma without any weapons!**


	6. Chapter 6: Speech

**A/N: This chapter isn't quite as long as some of the others, but I hope it makes up for that in quality!  
**

* * *

 **Speech**

"Get down!" Ladybug orders to the bystanders as she and Chat Noir leapt forwards.

With perfectly timed kicks, the two manage to deflect another set of knives being sent towards them, sending them straight into the ground like missiles.

"Get back, all of you!" Chat yelled, directing the civilians to the other side of the massive room.

Everyone, guests and staff, piled away from the entrance and huddled together at the opposing wall. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood in the middle of the room, between them and the akuma who leisurely walked down the steps, twirling a knife between his fingers with inhuman dexterity. He kicked out happily as he descended each step, a huge smile on his masked face.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir!" the akuma exclaimed as if surprised to see them. "I'm so happy to see you here!"

"Well I can't say likewise," Ladybug responded, a hard edge to her tone.

"Ah-ah, so rude," the akuma scolded, wagging a finger at her. "You may look the part, but you certainly don't act like it."

"What are you talking about?!" she demanded, even as Chat began to look uncomfortable.

His expression grew dark.

"Having to serve spoilt arrogant little brats and wasteful rude guests with their idiotic demands, it makes my blood boil! But now thanks to Hawkmoth, I can get my revenge on everyone who has treated those below them with disrespect! Finally, it's the Gârçhon's time to shine!"

Gârçhon? That seemed like an odd name, Ladybug thought to herself. Even for one of Hawkmoth's akumas it was a little strange. In fact, it was almost like a… Her heart dropped as she saw Chat's face light up with excitement.

"Nice pun," Chat grinned, twirling his tail in his hand. "I'm _feline_ generous so I'll give it a six out of ten. Not bad, _kit_ , but it'll take some time before you reach the level of the _meow_ -ster."

"Chat, focus a little," Ladybug ground out. "There's barely even a pun there!"

"Well you see, my lady," Chat turned to explain it. "It's a play on Garcon, or waiter, and-"

"Get down!"

She threw him to the ground as several knives sailed through the space that his head had just occupied.

Ladybug swore. Some of the knives had gone through her dress, although luckily, they had missed her body.

"Woah!" Chat smirked. "No need to take out your _purr_ performance on us!"

"We're in a fight, pun later!" Ladybug scolded, jumping again to avoid more knives.

Chat pouted, but acquiesced and rolled out of the way as razor-sharp forks slammed into the ground all the way up to the hilt.

"How dare you mock me!" Gârçhon cried out. "You're both just like all the others!"

"Do you loathe us? Do you _wait_ us?" Chat asked, grinning as Ladybug groaned.

Gârçhon growled and threw more knives, which Chat jumped over with a laugh. Ladybug had to hide a smile. Already, Chat was doing what he did best; distract the akuma so she could think of something.

Despite Chat's levity the situation was dire. They had no weapons, which meant they couldn't purify the akuma and on top of that they had a whole crowd full of people trapped in the room with them. No yo-yo also meant no Lucky Charm, so she was essentially powerless until she managed to re-apply her transformation.

Fortunately, Chat would still be able to use his Cataclysm if he needed to.

Ladybug's mind was on fire as she tried to think of something to do. First, she needed to transform back into her normal outfit; they couldn't purify the akuma otherwise. But they also needed to keep the other guest's behind them safe.

Chat leapt over another attack and landed on all fours. Immediately, three more knives slammed into one of the sleeves of his suit, pinning his arm to the floor.

With a savage grin, the akuma rose his hands and what looked like hundreds of knives rose from one of the nearby tables and hovered over a paling Chat Noir. He gave a pleading look towards Ladybug, who darted away from him and towards the tables as the akuma grinned widely and brought his hands down.

Chat covered his head as the knives rained down like silver missiles. The crowd behind them cried out and looked away at the sound of metal on wood. He looked up, only to see Ladybug standing above him, hefting one of the large tables over her head as cover. All the knives were imbedded to the hilt in the solid wood, but the table was thick enough to act as cover.

Ladybug gave him a smile, before throwing the table straight at the akuma, who was slammed into the stairs. Ladybug turned to Chat.

"We need to get everyone out of here. It won't be long before he starts targeting them."

Chat nodded.

"Alright," he began, ripping the knives out of the floor with some effort. "But that might be tricky without our weapons, my lady."

"I know," Ladybug looked to the side where the other tables were. "There's a passage over there. That probably leads to the kitchens, there should be a way out through there."

Chat could already see where she was going.

"I'll distract the akuma," he said quickly. "You make sure they get to safety."

"Chat-,"

"I'm better at it, I still have a weapon, ten in fact," he wiggled his claws wildly in evidence. "You can transform as soon as the guests are clear, right?"

"I won't leave you fighting an akuma on your own," Ladybug protested, although her mind couldn't help but chip in otherwise.

It was the most sensible option. Chat had his claws and could still use Cataclysm, whereas she had nothing and was wearing a dress. It made more sense for her to help them evacuate whilst Chat held off the akuma until she could transform.

There was a rumble and the table exploded outwards as the akuma ripped his way out. Expensive wood shards scattered across the floor and some of the closest in the crowd screamed.

'He's not as physically strong as us,' a more analytical part of Ladybug's mind noticed. 'That attack wouldn't have kept either of us down that long.'

"Just be careful not to hurt him, his strength lies in his powers," she advised, before running towards the guests. "All of you, this way!"

Chat stood up, moving sideways as the akuma strolled forwards towards him. With a gesture, cutlery floated off the floor and nearby tables. Forks and skewers and knives all rotated their business ends towards him. Chat gulped. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all?

He darted towards the tables as cutlery of numerous different types shot after him. He leapt and scrabbled across the polished floor for the relative safety of the nearest table. Knives, several different kinds of forks and even spoons slammed into the ground just behind him as he raced forwards.

Chat barely made it under the table in time before the rest of the cutlery exploded into the wood above him.

Then he felt something grab his arms and legs.

With a yell, he was brought to the roof of the table's underside, pinned in place. With horror, Chat saw that each of his limbs had each been restrained by the large white tablecloth that hung over the table.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Gârçhon laughed maniacally as the table began to rise into the air, before turning towards him and exposing the restrained Chat Noir to the akuma. "I control everything here! This is my kingdom!"

"It'll take more than this!" Chat flexed and pushed out with his back. "To keep this cat down!"

With an almighty crack, the table broke and the cloth was torn. Chat landed on the ground on all fours with a cocky smirk as the akuma's face turned dark.

"Nice try," Chat grinned. "But now that that tablecloth is almost as ripped as I am, you don't have any chance!"

"You people and your arrogance!" Gârçhon growled, his fists practically trembling with rage. "You haven't even begun to see my power! I'll let you know what it's like; you'll all see, you'll all understand!"

The white tablecloths covering the other tables lifted into the air like they were covering some invisible beasts. They shook off the plates and glasses before launching themselves towards Chat Noir.

With a mighty grin, Chat spread his hands wide and tore through the nearest cloth. His claws easily sunk and tore through the material. With a few swipes, he had ripped the large cloth to ribbons. It felt oddly satisfying sinking his claws into things, he noted, he should try it more often.

"Really _clawing_ the bottom of the barrel, aren't you?" Chat taunted further as the other large cloths circled above him. "You're really _pawing_ for new ideas, right?"

At that moment, the main entrance to the room burst open and four men in security uniforms entered the room. Wielding pistols they immediately pointed them at the akuma. Chat's eyes widened in horror as the akuma's frown became a vicious smile.

"Hands up, creep!" one of the guards shouted.

Gârçhon immediately put his hands up, but only Chat could see the victorious smile on his face.

"No, wait!" Chat implored them.

The four remaining tablecloths immediately descended on the hapless security guards, wrapping each of them up completely.

Chat ran forwards, but a hail of knives forced him back. Chat felt failure grip his heart as one by one, each of the struggling guards went limp.

Then, the cloths let them go.

The guards were now dressed in waiter uniforms with blank looks on their faces. As one, they all turned to look at Chat.

"Uh-oh."

"Waiters, we have a busy evening ahead of us," Gârçhon smiled. "We have a potential new hire in front of us. Do give him a very thorough interview."

The four surged forwards, running past Gârçhon to fight the superhero. Above him, the four remaining tablecloths circled Chat like vultures, waiting for an opening.

"Ok then, five on one?" Chat reasoned, getting into a karate stance. "I'm Chat Noir! It'll take more than that to deal with me!"

Then all four of Gârçhon's minions drew their guns.

"Ah, well that might do it."

* * *

"Through here, keep moving all of you!" Ladybug knocked down another mind controlled waiter, being mindful not to hit them too hard.

It seemed the akuma had first transformed in the kitchen and had managed to mind control most of the waiting and kitchen staff. They were all wearing tuxedos and had serving trays that they used as frisbees.

Ladybug had diverted their attention away from the panicking guests, but of course that meant she had to deal with them; preferably without hurting them.

'Was this what it was like for Chat when he had to fight me?' she thought idly, dodging a tray that cracked the stone wall behind her.

"Ladybug!"

The superhero turned to see Chloe of all people standing by the doorway to the hall where Chat was fighting the akuma. She was looking through the open door, lips pursed.

"What are you doing?!" Ladybug yelled, ducking under another attack. "Get going!"

"But-," Chloe began, only for Ladybug to round on her.

"Now, Chloe!"

She did not have time for Chloe's brattiness right now. If she'd dropped her phone or something then she could get it later when things were safe.

With a slight grunt, Ladybug picked up a nearby serving trolley and began to block the attack from the waiter-minions.

The utterly blank looks they had on their faces as they tried their utmost to hit her was disconcerting. Not to mention-

Ladybug snarled as her stupid dress caught around her legs _again_ and she was sent nearly toppling to the ground. With supernatural agility, she brought her hand out and managed to turn it into an aerial cartwheel over two of the minion's heads.

It was as if the universe was punishing her for trying to look good at what could be the most important event of her life. It wasn't anything she couldn't deal with, but it was yet another annoyance on top of everything else.

Hopefully now though she could avoid these guys, find somewhere to transform and go help Chat Noir.

A scream cut through the air and Ladybug immediately turned towards the source. Alya, her phone out, had been pinned to the wall by one of the waiters. More were approaching her with large white tablecloths, for a purpose Ladybug could probably guess at.

'That idiot!' Ladybug cursed as she leapt over table and past brainwashed minions to get to her. 'Why is she still here?!'

Parkouring across Paris had more than prepared her for this. Snatching one of the tablecloths, Ladybug twirled it around into a tight rope. With a cry, she lassoed the three waiters harassing Alya and tossed them to the side.

"You saved me, Ladybug!" Alya threw her arms around her.

"Yeah-cool-thanks, get going!" Ladybug ordered through gritted teeth, not-so-gently ushering her best friend towards the exit.

"Ladybug, help me!" another familiar voice cried out.

Ladybug turned yet again to see Chloe still standing near the entrance to the hall, with two of the waiters having grabbed each of her arms. Had she not even tried to reach the exit?! Utter irritation at Chloe swelled within her again.

'Can that girl go five minutes without being a nuisance?' she thought to herself, even as she deflected another thrown tray with a swift kick.

She had to go rescue Chloe, but she couldn't just leave Alya here…

Alya screeched as Ladybug lifted her over her shoulder like a potato sack and leapt towards Chloe. With a grunt, Ladybug knocked away the two minions and Chloe's face lit up like a Christmas light.

"Ladybug-argh!" she screamed as Ladybug hefted her over her other shoulder.

There weren't any more stragglers so Ladybug quickly ran to the exit with her two passengers clinging to her shoulders. Chloe pounded uselessly on Ladybug's back, but the superhero was too focused to notice. The surroundings blurred by as she picked up speed and kicked open a nearby door so hard it exploded off its hinges.

She dodged around projectiles and vaulted over counters to finally burst onto the outside. A police line had already been set up and Ladybug immediately leapt over the tape and handed the two girls to the police officers who had begun to surround the building.

"Next time I tell you to evacuate, evacuate!" she scolded the two harshly, before turning to leave.

"Ladybug, wait!" Chloe struggled.

"I don't have time!" Ladybug responded. "Chat needs me!"

Ladybug just didn't have the patience to deal with Chloe and her utter refusal to listen. Listening to her insult her best friend yesterday had been bad enough, but now she was willingly trying to run back in there with the akuma?

"Adrien's still in there!" Chloe yelled, making Ladybug's heart stand still.

"What?"

"My friend, Adrien! I tried to go back, but he's still in there! Please save him!"

She stared at Chloe, mouth agape. That was why Chloe had ignored her? To try and rescue Adrien?

'They are friends,' she rationalised, for the first time taking in Chloe's appearance.

Her mascara was running down her face, which was contorted into a hopeful, pleading grimace. She had bruises along her arms where the akuma's minions had held her down, the dark purple standing out brightly against her sun-yellow dress.

'She's… actually worried about him,' the part of Ladybug that wasn't in shock realised. 'She-she actually went back for Adrien.'

Ladybug's heart began to beat faster as fear gripped her. She couldn't recall seeing Adrien amongst the people leaving; she would have spotted him in an instant. That meant Adrien was still in the building, alone with the akuma and his minions. She couldn't just leave him in there, he must be terrified, hiding from the akuma, all alone.

"Where did you last see him?" Ladybug demanded.

"J-just before you showed up, he was near the bathrooms. He might be hiding in there. Please save him, Ladybug!"

"Don't worry," Ladybug's eyes hardened. "I will."

'I was wrong about you, Chloe,' Ladybug thought to herself as she entered the building. 'I guess you're not completely heartless after all.'

As she entered the kitchen door, the remaining minions turned towards her like robots, dinner plates and serving trays at the ready. Not in the mood to be playing around, Ladybug ripped the door off its hinges and held it in front of her.

With a cry, she charged forwards. The metal door shuddered as it took the blows from every single piece of kitchenware that could be thrown. In a single move, Ladybug had crossed the room, discarded the door and somersaulted back into the hall.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

She instinctively dropped to the ground as the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the hall. Chat was ducking and weaving like she'd never seen him before. Four waiters, each with a handgun were attempting to hit him, whilst he dodged the occasional dive bombs from the four giant tablecloths circling ahead.

It was astonishing.

'Keep it up, Chat Noir! I've almost got everyone out!' Ladybug silently cheered him on as she rushed towards the bathrooms.

She would have to be quick, already Chat's movements were slowing and it wouldn't be long until he got hit or captured. There was no way she could fight him on top of the akuma without her weapon.

Ladybug kicked open the door to the men's room and, with only a moment's embarrassed hesitation, walked in.

"Adrien?!" she called out, looking around in panic. "Adrien are you here?!"

The room was completely empty. The stalls were open and one of the sinks was running where someone had clearly left in a hurry, but there was no sign of her crush. Ignoring the mounting panic, Ladybug left and went into the women's. Likewise, nobody was there.

"Spots off!"

A flash of red light and Marinette caught Tikki in her hands.

"Adrien's not here!" she explained, eyes wide in panic. "What do I do, Tikki? Where is he?!"

"Calm down, Marinette," Tikki tried to reassure her. "He must have made it out or he'd be here."

"What if he's hurt, though? What if he's been transformed into one of those waiters?" Marinette panicked, before a sudden memory came to her.

 _'I can make sure Chloe gets as little time with Adrien as possible,'_ Alya's sly grin slithered into her mind.

"It's my fault, Tikki," Marinette realised, guilt clutching her heart. "If I hadn't agreed with Alya to keep Adrien separated from Chloe, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Marinette, get a hold of yourself! You're Ladybug!" Tikki flew straight into her Chosen's face, eye to eye. "Only you can make sure he's safe by vanquishing the akuma."

"But Adrien…"

"Could be perfectly fine for all you know. But right now, there is someone who definitely needs your help."

Even through the walls, the sound of gunfire as Chat continued to hold off the akuma and his minions for her, could be heard.

"Oh, Chat!" Marinette pulled at her hair in stress. "Ok, Tikki, you're right. We need Ladybug-classic right now. Spots on!"

Ladybug, clad in her usual suit, yo-yo already spinning like a helicopter blade, burst out of the bathroom and threw her weapon into the air.

The four circling tablecloths were immediately wrapped in the line. With a powerful heave, she pulled them straight to the ground.

"Chat!" she ordered, releasing them and leaping between him and the four-armed minions.

He grinned, immediately pouncing on the grounded cloths as she spun her yo-yo. The bullets were immediately deflected as behind her, Chat tore up the large cloths to prevent anymore minions being created.

With another heave, Ladybug encircled the four minions with her weapon and pulled. The four were slammed into one another and collapsed in a pile as Ladybug withdrew her yo-yo. She levelled a glare at the now-alone akuma, who quailed.

"Looking good, my lady," Chat panted, standing beside her and pulling bits of cloth out of his claws. "I think the akuma's in his handkerchief, the one in his front pocket."

"Thanks, Chaton," she responded, glancing towards him

The scent of blood reached her sensitive nose and she gasped.

"Chat, you're injured!"

"It's just a few scratches," he waved her away, his chest heaving. "I'll be fine."

"It's hardly a few scratches," she argued. "You're hurt!"

"I may have gotten nicked a few times from his knives," Chat admitted. "But believe me they're not as sharp as my _cutting_ wit."

"Chat…"

"It's really put me on _edge_."

"Chat…"

"I'm doing fine, no matter which way you _slice_ it."

Ladybug didn't dare take her eyes off the akuma, but she could practically hear the pain in his voice.

"Chat, stay back," she ordered, her tone alight with a cold fury. "You've done more than enough. Now it's my turn to pay this akuma back."

Chat blinked, before smiling as his whole body seemed to sag.

"I guess I could use a little break," he admitted.

Ladybug smirked.

"Glad you got my _point_."

Chat gaped.

"Wait, was that a pun?"

Ladybug launched herself towards the akuma, who desperately threw knives towards her. She deflected them easily with her weapon.

"Look out, he can still control them!" Chat warned her.

Ladybug ducked as the knives she had deflected came right back towards her. She jumped out of the way and darted and dodged around as the knives unerringly stayed aiming towards her. She rocketed across the hall, using her yo-yo to swing from the chandelier above and jump high up into the air.

She swung round the chandelier and aimed her yo-yo at the akuma. The Gârçhon gestured and one of the tables rose to take the blow for him. The wood shattered from the force and split the table into two sections. With another gesture, he sent both straight towards Ladybug, who was forced to dodge.

'I can't get close!' she recognised. 'There's too many things he can control!'

She couldn't stop moving for a second, or the storm of knives behind her would catch up and flay her alive. The akuma stood still in the middle, directing waves of cutlery and dishes like an unholy conductor.

Chat grit his teeth as he watched Ladybug jumping about, barely staying ahead of the steel tsunami behind her. He got to his feet, ignoring the pain that seeped across his body and began to limp towards the akuma.

Gârçhon was so focused on Ladybug that he didn't even see Chat approaching until it was too late. Chat tackled the akuma, forcing him off his feet and onto the floor.

The cutlery chasing Ladybug fell to the ground, suddenly robbed of momentum. She in turn stopped to see Chat Noir wrestling desperately with the akuma.

"Lucky Charm!" she called, summoning an item that fell into her hands. "A bottle of oil?"

Chat continued to struggle against Gârçhon, who had the overwhelming advantage of not being injured. Blows that normally he could power through, were driven straight into his injuries, the pain bringing Chat to his knees.

With triumph, the Gârçhon stood over Chat Noir and raised his arms, knives appearing between his fingers. At this distance, there was no hope of dodging and Ladybug was too far away.

"Take this!" Ladybug yelled, throwing her lucky charm at the akuma.

Gârçhon saw it coming and ducked, the open bottle landing just behind him as he gloated.

"Nice try, Ladybug," he gloated. "But your partner just didn't make the _cut_."

"Now, Chat!" Ladybug screamed, swinging towards the two.

"Ha!" Chat yelled out, swiping at Gârçhon.

The akuma leapt back, dodging the poorly-timed swipe with a laugh… and stepped right on the puddle of oil. His feet slipped out from under him and his hands flailed wildly as he toppled over.

Chat smirked, leaping onto the akuma and pinning him down. Ladybug landed a second later and took his handkerchief.

"Thank you," she smiled, tearing it in two and producing the corrupted butterfly.

Quickly, she purified the butterfly and threw the now empty bottle of oil into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

With a crack like thunder, countless ladybugs burst from the oil and fixed all the damage to the room. Tables were fixed and put back, food and drink returned to their plates and cups, and Chat Noir was fully healed.

"I told you that I'd take care of it," Ladybug said curtly.

"What's wrong? We won, didn't we?"

"You were hurt, Chat. It looked really bad. You couldn't even run!"

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, right?"

The hall was pristine once more, leaving only Ladybug and a panting Chat Noir on top of a very confused waiter.

"Where am I?" the waiter moaned, clutching his head.

Chat Noir stood up and offered the guy a hand.

"You were akumatized," he grinned. "Don't worry we took care of it."

"I-I was?!" the waiter panicked. "Oh god, I ruined the night! I'm gonna lose my job!"

Chat grimaced at the possibility, but it was Ladybug whose eyes were steeled.

"No, you won't," Ladybug declared and both Chat and the waiter looked towards her. "It wasn't your fault that you were akumatized. I'll make sure everyone understands. Come on, Chat, we have a speech to give."

Mesmerized, Chat followed her as she went through the kitchens and to the outside. The formerly brainwashed waiters were all looking confused, but fell silent as Ladybug and Chat Noir walked through them.

They reached the outside where everybody was still waiting, although they were clearly more cheerful than before.

Upon seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheering and celebrations.

"I guess we're not so unpopular after all," Chat muttered, half-touched and half-wary.

"Yeah," Ladybug responded, seeing the notable figures of the minister and the General in the crowd remaining silent. "I guess not."

She lifted a hand to wave and the crowd went ballistic. Chat couldn't help the involuntary smile as Ladybug's face practically lit up at the reaction.

"We're practically celebrities, my lady," he noted, waving as well and another almighty cheer came out.

"No, Chat," Ladybug answered, her eyes glistening with happiness. "We're not celebrities. We're superheroes!"

She held both her arms up and the crowd slowly, ever so slowly, went silent.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked," Chat commented.

"People of Paris!" she declared, starting another deafening cheer.

Chat laughed as she had to wait for the crowd to calm down again.

"Once again, Hawkmoth sought to divide us today! He wanted us to give in, to spread misery and surrender to his demands. But once again, we refused! We, the People of Paris, will never give in to the likes of him. Over the last couple of months, I've seen such bravery from all of you, such incredible courage to not give in to his demands, but to fight on and continue to let us do our jobs."

Another huge applause from the crowd.

"But please, please don't try to fight the akuma yourselves. They are not responsible, they are also victims of him. If you do see an akuma, do everything within your power to spread the word; to let us know so that we can protect you and restore everything to how it should be! With your help, we can beat Hawkmoth, we can show him that the spirit of Paris is unbreakable!"

The roar this time was beyond deafening. The people screamed and hollered their support. Ladybug swallowed and did her best to ignore the hot burning sensation in her eyes at the sight of the streets full of people cheering for them.

Chat placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You knocked it out of the park, I think," he whispered.

"Thanks, Chaton," she answered. "I really am better at speeches when I just improvise."

 _Beep-beep-beep!_

Her eyes widened in horror. She only had a minute left!

"Chat, can we meet up at the usual place in ten minutes?" she asked imploringly.

"Of course-,"

"Great, see you there!" she immediately flung her yo-yo and was away, swinging into the night and out of sight.

* * *

Chat sighed as she left.

"She's amazing," he murmured, before shaking himself back to reality. "I wonder what she wants to talk about."

He had little time to think about it before suddenly about nine or ten microphones were shoved into his face and he was nearly blinded by hundreds of flashes as cameras went off.

"Chat Noir, Chat Noir!" a reporter asked. "What did Ladybug mean exactly about not fighting the akuma?"

"Err, well…"

"Chat Noir, could you elaborate on how exactly you two can be contacted?"

"Huh?"

"Chat Noir, why was Ladybug not wearing her dress, is she making a statement?"

"Uh…"

"Chat Noir, who made your suit? Is it by Gabriel?"

"Oh no, look at the time!" Chat yelled very loudly. "I have to go home and err… iron my cat!"

Without his baton, he was forced to leap over the crowd and jump up higher onto another building. That had been close, they had nearly cornered him. Thankfully he didn't need his baton to get around Paris.

He leaned against a nearby chimney and took in a few deep breaths. If there was one thing that Ladybug couldn't seem to cure it was his tiredness. Spending the evening dodging knives, bullets and flying white sheets had really taken it out of him.

He slumped down, let his legs collapse under him and just breathed. Phantom pain from all his injuries making him curl up a little. They were completely healed, but in his experience, it took a few minutes for his brain to catch up and realise he wasn't still injured.

Ladybug had been phenomenal. That look she'd hit him with just before her speech when she declared that they were superheroes, it sent shivers down his spine.

Now if only it did something for the itching that had sparked up again. Chat rubbed his back against the chimney, desperately trying to get some friction to scratch that damn itch. It was worse than ever, now. Ever since Ladybug had left it had flared up uncontrollably and no amount of desperate scratching with his claws would help.

And Ladybug wanted to meet him in less than ten minutes. Chat groaned, he didn't want her to see him like this! But if it got worse then he wouldn't be able to hide it; then he'd embarrass himself in front of her! He'd barely been able to keep it together in the hall, he'd almost been thankful for the akuma attack to take his mind off it.

"She'd be all over me, yeah right Plagg," Chat scoffed, standing up to get going.

He'd feel even worse if he stood her up just because he was afraid of making a fool of himself in front of her.

The trip towards their usual spot took a little longer without his baton, but thanks to his incredible jumping abilities, it didn't take him long before he was landing on the roof of the large building. Ladybug was already there, her arms folded as she looked out onto the lit-up city below.

"Good evening, my lady," he said, landing beside her with a bow.

"Hey, Chat Noir," she replied in a strange tone.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?"

Ladybug looked towards him, rubbing her left arm absentmindedly. She walked up towards him until she was standing right in front of him. Her gorgeous blue eyes met his own bright green; it took Chat everything he had to not twitch as his itch spiked painfully.

"Be honest, Chat," she began, averting her eyes. "How hurt did you get?"

"My lady," Chat put his hands on her shoulders.

"You could barely walk by the time I got back, Chaton," she interrupted, her eyes blazing as he took a step back. "If I hadn't arrived when I did, if I had spent another couple of seconds looking for-,"

She paused and her hands flew to her mouth.

"No, I forgot about Adrien!"

Chat jumped.

"W-who, what Adrien? Who's that?!" he said quickly.

"Agreste! Chloe said he never made it out and I couldn't find him!" Ladybug paced. "What if he got hurt?"

Chat felt his heart warm at his partner's concern for his civilian self. It was just his bad luck that she was delayed for so long trying to find himself.

"Don't worry, my lady," Chat slung an arm around his panicking partner. "I saw him get out through the front entrance whilst the akuma was distracted. No biggie."

He felt Ladybug instantly relax in his grip. She must have been worried about letting Chloe down.

"Thank god," she muttered, holding a hand to her face. "I'm sorry, Chat. Sorry for taking so long."

"It's really not your fault," Chat insisted, because it honestly wasn't. "You saved me in the nick of time."

Ladybug snorted.

"I saved you? You're the one who tackled the akuma whilst he had me on the ropes. You did really well today, Chat. We saved the day thanks to you."

"Thanks, Bugaboo," Chat smirked. "You really know how to give this cat the cream."

"Boo," she deadpanned, folding her arms. "That wasn't even a pun."

"Well if it's puns you want…"

"Nooo!" she tried to wiggle away but he held on tightly.

"Don't give me the _claw-_ d shoulder, my lady."

"Chat, I will tie you to the Eiffel Tower and leave you there."

Chat laughed and after a moment, Ladybug started laughing too.

"You're my best friend."

It slipped out of his mouth so easily, without any thought, it caught them both by surprise. Chat shut his mouth before it said anymore traitorous things and blushed bright red.

"Th-that is, I mean, err…" he stuttered.

"I-I think you're my best friend too, Chat," Ladybug responded, looking up at him with one of her heart-melting smiles.

Chat beamed back and it was like letting his worries melt away. He didn't have to worry about impressing his father, making connections or worrying about Chloe. It was just him and his best friend.

Ladybug really understood him. She didn't even know his real name, but she knew him better than anyone, even his own family.

Would… would she understand?

"Um, Ladybug? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"There's this friend I have who I've known for a long time," he began, trying to keep things vague. "But no-one else really likes them and my other good friend says that I should stop being friends with them."

"Why do they say that?"

"Because she's not the nicest person to other people and I, I know it's a bit pathetic but, I don't want to lose her friendship. She's been my friend for as long as I can remember and thanks to her I've gotten through some… really tough times. But she can be pretty awful to others, what should I do?"

Ladybug bit her bottom lip and looked deep in thought.

"Chat," she said tenderly. "If you really want to be her friend then it's your choice. No-one else can make that choice for you, including me."

"But-,"

"I know it's hard, but if they're truly your friends they'll respect your decision," Ladybug said resolutely, a strange look on her face. "I-I think I know someone going through a similar problem to you."

"Yeah?" Chat perked up, a little interested.

"Everyone likes him, but he's friends with someone who is always rude to everybody for no reason," Chat could practically hear the disapproval dripping from Ladybug's voice. "Yet, he never stopped being friends with her. Even if some people think less of him, he never gives up on her; he's far too kind for that, and I think she realises that as well."

She spoke almost reverently of this person and Chat had to squash down the hot, rising jealousy that ordered him to demand this guy's name.

"Is that bad?" he settled on.

"Well, just because they're friends doesn't mean he can't let her know when she's going too far," Ladybug said, a glint in her eye. "But that's up to him to decide. I won't judge him just because he has a history with someone a little… unpleasant."

Chat felt a strange tension ease up within him. What Nino had warned him about Chloe seemed so far away now. It was up to him, it had always been up to him to decide whether Chloe's friendship was worth it or not. Her fussing over him in the car, to her worry when Adrien went missing; she clearly valued their friendship, so why shouldn't he?

"Thanks Ladybug," he smiled, his stress at least partly melting away. "You always know what to say."

"You're welcome, mon minou," she responded, pulling him into a hug. "But I'm not that wise, it's just stuff I've learnt. And if there's one thing I've learnt it's that you're a good person, Chat. I know you'll make the right decision, whatever it may be."

It felt like something invisible was trying to make its way out of his throat. His eyes felt hot and Chat had to force back the sob that threatened to come out.

"Thank you, Bugaboo," he said, swallowing his misery and putting his own arms around her. "I really needed to hear that."

"You can always tell me, Chaton. We're partners; I'll always be willing to help."

He felt so warm and comfortable as Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder and they continued to rock slowly in the embrace. Chat felt his eyes begin to flutter closed before he heard Ladybug gasp.

"Chat, your back!"

"Huh?" he asked alarmed. "Is there something on my back?"

"Your suit!" she exclaimed, turning him around.

"W-what's there? What's on my back?! It's not bare, is it?"

Ladybug laughed.

"No, it's amazing! You've got fur on your back!"

"Huh?"

Chat watched in confusion as Ladybug showed him a picture she had taken on her yo-yo. His back had a triangular patch of black fur that ran down from his shoulders to the small of his back. It blended in extremely well with the rest of the suit, to the point of looking like it was made up of the same material as the rest of the suit.

"That's… strange, my kwami must have done it," Chat explained, unaware of Ladybug reaching towards him. "Who knows why-AAH!"

Ladybug jumped away like she'd been shocked.

"S-sorry," she said, lowering her hand. "I just wanted to touch it."

"N-no, it's fine," Chat spoke quickly. "Feel free."

He slapped his hands over his mouth as his voice broke. Ladybug's face lit up as her hand slowly felt the fur on his back.

Chat meanwhile, was planning on showering Plagg with cheese. He felt like he was coming apart as her strong fingers combed through the fur on his back. If that itch had been like a thousand pinpricks dancing under his skin, Ladybug's pets were like a million backscratchers tenderly caressing each inch of his back.

"It doesn't hurt, does it?" she asked suspiciously. "If it hurts, I'll stop."

"Noooo," Chat practically purred, his eyes falling shut in pleasure. "Mmmm."

Ladybug smiled and had to do her best to hold in her laughter.

"You seem like you're enjoying yourself, Chat," she chuckled. "Maybe I should give you scratches more often?"

"Mmmmm."

His pleasure was then ruined by his legs collapsing underneath him. Ladybug laughed as he blinked the sleepy haze out of his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

He looked up, straight into her enthralling blue eyes. His face immediately started to grow hot as his brain caught up to the fact that she had been petting him.

"Uh, y-y-yeah," he stammered.

"It was quite cute actually."

"C-cute?!" he repeated, flustered.

"Can I pet you again?" she asked.

"S-s-sure!" Chat answered, trying unsuccessfully to hide his eagerness. "A-anytime!"

They sat down next to each and Ladybug started combing her hands through the fur on the back of his suit, silently marvelling at its softness. Chat arched his back as she managed to tease a few moans out of his mouth. If this was all he had to do to get rid of the itch, she could pet him whenever she wanted.

"You did so well today, Chat," Ladybug whispered to him. "Thank you."

His eyes were beginning to close, exhaustion finally catching up with him. Ladybug's voice was so calming, he couldn't help but feel safe. The delicate sounds of her fingers running through the fur on his back blended with the dull roar of the city below them. Chat had never felt so warm as little pinpricks of delight followed his partner's fingers down his back.

He was falling and falling…

 _"It feels so nice, maman," Adrien pleaded, resting his head in his mother's lap. "Can you please do it again?"_

 _"Alright, Adrien," his mother smiled tenderly. "But if you fall asleep, I'm taking you to bed."_

 _Adrien nodded._

 _"Ok!" he agreed._

 _His mother hummed, slowly and gently combing her fingers through his hair. Adrien could feel the warmth from the sunlight bathing them both as his mother continued to hum and play with his fair._

 _With the kind touch that only a mother could bring she carefully massaged his head through his hair. His mouth curled into a wide smile as he gazed lazily into his mother's ethereal green eyes._

 _"I love you, maman."_

 _"I love you too, mon petit ange."_

Chat woke up with a start. He was lying down with his head in someone's lap and their hands in his hair. He rapidly blinked away the memories to stare up into Ladybug's concerned face.

"You awake?"

"Y-yeah," he whispered, quickly wiping at his eyes so she wouldn't see.

There were some things he wasn't ready to tell even her.

"I-How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour," Ladybug said. "You seemed so tired, I didn't want to wake you."

"A-an hour?!" he clarified, slowly sitting up. "Wow!"

Ladybug stood up and stretched out her legs.

"Yeah, it was beginning to get a bit cold. Though I never realised how much like a cat you were, Chaton."

"Huh?!"

"Well you liked the scratches," Ladybug said, a teasing grin stretching across her face as she began to list things off. "You run on all fours sometimes- don't deny it I've seen you – you kept trying to cuddle up to me while asleep and you really liked it when I stroked your hair."

Chat felt his entire face grow hot. He had tried to cuddle her? He had his head in her lap for an hour while she stroked his hair?!

Ladybug laughed at the mortified expression on his face, before apparently having her fill of his embarrassment for one night.

"Hey, it's ok, Chat," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll probably start having some weird animal tendencies soon too."

"What sort of embarrassing habits can a ladybug have?" Chat asked sarcastically, smiling despite himself.

"Well, my kwami didn't say anything specifically," Ladybug answered, frowning as she thought to herself. "But she did say I would start getting some noticeable ones during the spring – I don't know what that means."

"Maybe you'll start shooting toxic liquid out of your knees?" Chat suggested, nudging her with an elbow.

"Gross! Ladybugs don't do that!" Ladybug shoved him.

"Yeah, they totally do!"

"They don't!" Ladybug's face become a mask of horror.

"Cross my paws," Chat swore, before leaning in with a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat. "I can't wait for the spring, my lady! Only three months to go; I'll be counting the days!"

"Shut up, Chat," Ladybug protested. "Whatever they are, I'll own them anyway."

"I don't doubt that."

"Anyway, I should be getting home, Chat," Ladybug decided. "Until then, I'll enjoy giving you scratches. Your hair was so fluffy!"

Chat's ears immediately perked up at that, even as his face grew redder.

"Really? You mean, you didn't think it was weird?"

"I mean, it was a little weird," she admitted. "But you're worth a little weird, Chat."

"How much weird exactly, Bugaboo?" he leaned in, his earlier embarrassment seemingly forgotten. "Believe me, I've got plenty more weird to show you."

He wiggled his eyebrows rapidly. Ladybug pushed him away.

"I don't doubt that," she laughed, before walking towards the edge. "Good luck with your friend problem, Chat. I don't doubt you'll make the right choice. See you on patrol!"

With that, the love of his life, jumped off the edge and swung away. Chat waved until she was out of sight, then he sighed.

Honestly, patrol couldn't come soon enough.

An hour with Ladybug and he felt completely different. His exhaustion had been dampened, concealed by a warm fuzzy feeling deep within his chest. The strange itch was gone completely and he now had complete freedom of movement.

With a joyous laugh, Chat leapt into the air and made his way home. The journey was quick, taking only a few minutes before he landed outside the house, de-transformed and rang the doorbell.

To his surprise, it was Natalie who answered and immediately started to scold him for not reporting to his bodyguard and that he was lucky his father wasn't here to tell him so. It was strange, normally being told he was a disappointment would hurt, but tonight his heart was protected. It was like none of what Natalie said mattered, he was flying on an emotional high.

Natalie seemed to sense this and sent him to his room. Tomorrow, his father would give him hell, but right now Adrien was too happy to care.

As soon as he was in his room, Plagg burst free of his tuxedo jacket.

"What did I tell you?" he asked, tiny stubby paws on his hips. "Am I good or what?"

"She said I was her best friend, Plagg!" Adrien gushed, practically bouncing in place. "She said I was great! We got along so well!"

"I see you've got your priorities in order," Plagg snarked as Adrien checked his phone. "On one hand, you've publicly won over the city and shown your detractors why you're needed and on the other, the girl you liked considers you her best friend."

"But this is important, Plagg," Adrien argued. "In all my shows, becoming best friends is like the first step to becoming more!"

"Oh boy…" Plagg muttered.

"Chloe was worried," Adrien said, looking at his phone. "Better let her know I'm alright."

"So, not gonna drop her?" Plagg asked.

Adrien frowned, looking at his phone and the plethora of worried messages Chloe had sent him since he'd vanished.

"No," he decided resolutely. "I think Chloe is still worth it, even if she could be nicer to people."

Plagg's smile was almost proud.

"Not bad, kid," he smiled, before holding out his paws. "Anyway, now that you've gotten your happiness out of your system; I want my cheese."

"Your cheese?"

Plagg's grin would have unnerved the Mad Hatter.

"I would think having Ladybug pet you and have your head in her lap for an hour would qualify as being 'all over you', don't ya think?"

Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but no words would come out. He gasped and his face turned bright tomato-red.

"Come on, hurry up, chop-chop!"

"You knew," he whispered. "You knew about those weird itches I was having!"

"Yep," Plagg declared proudly. "I figured it out as soon as you told me. We cats love to be petted and shown affection and can get quite cranky when we aren't. I was just smart enough to use it against you with Ladybug's kindness and love of furry things."

"W-why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked," Plagg shrugged. "Never make a bet against me, kid. That's your lesson for the day. Oh, warm my camembert for me, by the way. I like it when the inside is gooey."

Adrien just stood there, utterly stunned, before throwing his hands up in the air.

"You know, whatever, it was worth it," he claimed, before leaving the room.

Plagg chuckled.

"I knew you'd think that," the kwami muttered, before looking towards where Adrien had vanished.

Honestly, he should thank Ladybug for being so willing to be affectionate with him. Not many Ladybug's were willing to hold and pet their partners for an hour whilst they slept. That should easily keep the poor kid going for some time. If it hadn't worked, Plagg wasn't sure what could have been done.

He sighed. It wasn't like it had to be pets. Any sort of physical affection, from anyone, would do. Adrien probably hadn't even noticed that the itch got worse when he wanted physical comfort from someone he trusted. Normally it would be provided by family and most Chat Noirs wouldn't even notice that they'd become more touchy-feely, but this kid…

Jeez, he'd had medieval nobleman more affectionate than this kid's father.

Either way, Ladybug would provide. Since Tikki knew about the problem, she'd probably encourage her chosen to be physically affectionate without embarrassing Adrien further.

He frowned. Those two together… This Ladybug was strangely empathetic towards Chat Noir's needs; normally that kind of bond took much longer to form. Maybe they're both a little desperate?

Plagg shrugged it off.

Who knew? Who cares?

All he knew and cared about for the next few hours were whether Adrien would heat up his camembert enough.

Plagg crossed his tiny legs and imagined the cheesy heaven that awaited him. It was good to be a kwami.

* * *

 **A/N: And there's the latest chapter, hope everyone enjoyed!  
**

 **Responses:**

 **Rosalind2013:** Thanks so much. I'm glad I'm balancing everything well. I hope Adrien's itching came to an interesting conclusion for the moment for you!

 **Daisy Rhine:** Yeah, Ladybug gets nervous and a bit bullheaded at times, but that's something she'll have to work on. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Tsukimine12:** Well, they haven't died yet! Here's hoping they keep that streak up.

 **S:** Here you go!

 **DeathLadyShinigami:** Thank you so much! From watching the origins I assumed Marinette wasn't particularly popular and I'm trying to run with that. She may grow to become more popular in the future, but it's a gradual process. Hope you liked this chapter!

 **miraculousfan:** Thank you! And now I know what ilsym means. Again... thank you.

 **Thanks all of you for your support! Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm dying to know. If anyone cares, I've almost finished the next chapter of The Mad Professor, which is WAY overdue. Keep on Rising will come after that.**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Changes

**A/N: Here's the latest chapter. This contains plenty of LadyNoir and MariChat.  
**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

 **Changes**

Chat Noir waited anxiously on top of the Eiffel Tower for his partner. It was the highest platform that the tower had; inaccessible to the public, but child's play for him to reach. He quickly checked the time on his baton; only a couple of minutes past eight and he still couldn't help the anxious tapping of his leg. The wind blew harshly and the chill would freeze most people, but through his suit he could barely feel it. His keen eyes, able to see in the dark nearly as well as day, darted around the city below; looking for any sign of Ladybug.

It had been nearly three months since they had gained their powers and met one another. Yet even so, Hawkmoth hadn't let up. His attacks had been steady at first, almost predictable in their regularity. Every other day, Chat Noir and Ladybug would suit up and beat the snot out of the akuma, purify it and restore things to the façade of normality that Paris has since become. Now Hawkmoth would attack at any time; sometimes repeatedly in the same day.

It had certainly made convincing Ladybug that they should patrol Paris at night easier. Though he suspected she agreed not to try and pre-emptively catch any night-time akuma, but to just have fun swinging through the city. Whatever the reason, Chat Noir was just happy to spend time with her.

Down below, the city bustled even more frequently than usual. Chat Noir was aware that even now, there were probably hundreds of eager tourists desperately trying to catch a glimpse of him as he was up here. If there was one thing that was different in Paris since this whole mess had begun it was tourists.

Tourism was booming at record levels in the City of Lights and it seemed the presence of superheroes and supervillains were responsible. Paris was the only place in the world with actual super-powered beings running around – and the tourism industry was reaping the rewards. Hotels had ramped up their prices and there was even talk of the building of new ones. Chloe had been practically unbearable as she boasted about how well her Father's hotel business was doing.

Everybody was talking about them. In newspapers, on TV, on radio and the internet. No matter your age or location, everybody knew about Ladybug and Chat Noir.

As Adrien, he had spent hours listening to interviews from experts trying to figure out how their powers worked. Debates about the morality of superheroes were commonplace on the TV and the internet particularly – he had even taken part himself in a few of the latter.

Though worst of all were the conferences that Ladybug now insisted they give. Police-staff, the mayor and other important political figures were updated on the situation with Hawkmoth and the press asked them questions.

It wasn't too bad, except for all the questions asking if they were single, who did their hair and even some of the more outrageous such as whether they would accept sponsorship deals. After all, who wouldn't want their products to be advertised by the only two superheroes in the world?

Chat sat back and sighed.

It was a perfect situation for retail as well. The two superheroes were internationally recognised figures, but as they had to keep their identities secret, they had no rights to their actual image.

As a result, Ladybug and Chat Noir merchandise was being sold everywhere by everybody. Action figures, pillows, clothes, knick-knacks and anything else you could slap their faces on were being churned out at a ridiculous rate.

Chat was used to people buying things because it had his face on it – or at least on the advertising – so it was a novel experience for him. Ladybug however had seemed a bit more confused by it.

Of course, speak of an angel and they shall appear.

His eyes lit up at the familiar whir of his lady's weapon.

"Sorry I'm late, Chat," Ladybug said, swinging herself over the railing to stand next to him. "I had a little bit more trouble slipping away than expected."

"It's no problem, my lady," he responded with a grin, relieved she was fine. "Just happy to see you're meow-kay."

Ladybug smiled.

"You never quit, do you?" she asked, sitting on the railing with her back to the city and idly kicking her legs. "I bet you spend hours every day looking up awful puns."

"My lady!" Chat Noir put a hand to heart. "All of my puns are one hundred percent original! I would never disgrace your ears with… copied material."

Ladybug chuckled and Chat felt his heart soar at the sound.

"Oh really, Chaton?" she teased, looking at him with a sly smile that made his face red. "So, if I happened to look up the joke you told me yesterday; what a cat's favourite colour was, would the answer the computer gives me be 'purrple'?"

Chat somehow managed to tear his eyes away from her.

"I can't help it if people copy my genius," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the tower.

He put on his best seductive voice and every ounce of his model-acting into a sensual smirk.

"But if you want to keep telling puns like that my lady," he breathed. "I promise you I won't hiss and tell."

But like always, she failed to even notice.

"That one was even worse," she groaned, leaning backwards like the pun had physically struck her.

However, the smile never left her face; Chat could take some comfort in that. Ladybug certainly wasn't shallow enough to fall for just a pretty face.

"It's cold up here today," Ladybug shivered.

"Do you need me to warm you up, my lady?"

"I appreciate it, but aren't you cold at all?"

"Not really," Chat shrugged. "I guess my suit protects me better."

Ladybug muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'so unfair', but she pressed on.

"Anyways kitty," Ladybug said, standing upon the railing. "We should probably begin tonight's patrol. That'll warm things up."

It was do or die time.

"Um, actually my lady," Chat Noir began sheepishly. "I was wondering- hoping really- if um we could, maybe do something else instead of patrolling?"

Ladybug blinked at him.

"But patrolling was your idea. I thought you liked it?"

He winced.

"I know, but it's been nearly three months and we've never actually fought an akuma during a patrol," Chat pointed out. "I guess Hawkmoth has a bedtime."

Ladybug snorted.

Chat's heart skipped a beat.

'Why do I fall even more in love with her each time we talk?' he wondered wistfully, giving himself a mental pat on the back for two laughs in one night.

"Err, Chaton?" she waved her hand in front of his face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, err right! Well since there's no real point to patrolling and it is nearly Christmas, I was maybe wondering if we could do something else together tonight, you-know-as-friends!" he added quickly.

Damn him and his cowardice.

Ladybug looked thoughtful, was she actually considering it? Those beautiful blue eyes then caught his own.

"What do you have in mind?"

Chat Noir grinned.

* * *

"Thank you, sir," Jean said, forcing a polite smile on his face as the couple walked away.

Only a couple more hours of his shift and then he would be free. Free to finally get drunk and cuddle with his pet dog without thinking about work for once. It was a pretty slow evening anyway. Seems people would rather be out doing their Christmas shopping than watching films. It didn't help that this year's winter releases were for the most part rather tedious.

"Good evening, my fine man," said the latest customer.

"How can I help you, sir?" Jean began, before all breath left his body.

For standing in front of him, perusing the menu on display above his head, was one of the superheroes of Paris, Chat Noir himself.

This couldn't be real. Superheroes didn't just pop into local cinemas. But there was no doubt it was him. Ignoring how amazingly well made the costume was, Jean could see the fake ears twitching like real ones and the fake belt-like tail swaying lazily behind him. Even his very presence seemed somehow larger than life, making it harder for Jean's brain to conjure a coherent thought.

But it was his eyes that were the most convincing. Slit and bright green; utterly catlike and inhuman. Jean swallowed nervously. Was there an akuma around somewhere? Were they about to be attacked? The company orientation didn't cover this!

"Well then, my good man," Chat Noir grinned, bringing Jean back to terrifying reality. "I would like two of your best tickets to see Rogue One, IMAX of course."

Jean scrambled to put it up on the register as his mind went into overdrive. Two tickets?! But who-

Then he saw and what little of his rationale left his brain behind. Standing about forty feet away, eyes watching the screens that were constantly playing trailers, stood Ladybug herself, looking for all the world like she belonged there. It was telling just how empty the cinema was today that neither her nor Chat Noir had been swarmed by fans yet.

But seriously, Ladybug and Chat Noir were here! Where he was! His family would never believe it! He had only ever caught glimpses of them in person or when they were on the news. Jean had never quite realised how powerful their presence was.

Wow, Ladybug was even prettier in person…

"Gorgeous, isn't she?"

Jean sputtered as he looked back into Chat Noir's smug face. The superhero leaned in, his face barely an inch away from Jean's.

"See something interesting?"

Jean's voice definitely did not crack with fear.

"N-no, sir!" he said quickly, his hands shaking as he finished typing out the order. "I-is there anything else I can get you?"

The last thing he wanted was a superhero thinking he was ogling his date. What other reason would the two superheroes be doing in a cinema at this time?! But holy crap, they totally were dating! Ladybug and Chat Noir were together! In the cinema that he worked at!

"I would like hmmm, say eight extra-large bags of popcorn – four salty and four sweet, four large hotdogs, two large tubs of ice cream and four extra-large colas, diet," Chat Noir finished with a flourish.

Whilst Jean scrambled to fulfil the superhero's order, Ladybug continued to idly watch the trailers for upcoming movies, her mind wandering.

Chat had wanted to watch a movie with her of all things. She supposed it was fair enough, it was nearly Christmas and Hawkmoth was unlikely to attack so late in the evening. They could afford to skip out on patrol this one time. Plus, it was nice to be able to hang out with Chat and do normal friend things rather than just swing around the city and chat. He had also insisted on paying for the tickets, since he'd actually brought money with him.

Although this cinema was pretty high-end. Much more expensive than the small local one her parents would usually take her to. She'd taken a glance at the prices and her eyes had practically boggled out of her skull. At least Chat wouldn't buy any food or drink. With how much they ate it would take ages to pay him back for it.

"Here we are."

"So Chat, what are we..." her voice died and her mouth hung open.

"Do I render you speechless, my lady?"

She could barely even see his face there was so much food. Had he literally bought an entire machine's worth of popcorn for them? Hell, it must take his super powers just to carry all that balanced on each other without tipping over.

"I didn't know what flavour popcorn you like so half are sweet and the other half are salty," Chat Noir said, smiling.

His smile slowly died at the look on her face.

"Um, Ladybug?"

"Chat, how much did this all cost?"

"What, do you think I stole it?" he asked, eyebrow raised - not that she could see it. "It wasn't that expensive."

"You know how ridiculously overpriced cinema food is, right?" Ladybug lectured, folding her arms. "If you were hungry we could have just eaten somewhere else. You didn't have to waste this much money."

"O-overpriced?" he squeaked.

He hadn't even noticed the prices. It wasn't expensive to him so he hadn't bothered. But Ladybug was super smart, if anyone could put the pieces of his identity together it was her. The less clues he gave her the better.

"You didn't notice?" Ladybug smirked. "I guess you must be a rich kitty then. Do you have a pedigree too?"

She took her share of the food away from him so she could clearly see his face.

"And for the record - I prefer sweet," she smirked, taking a bite out of a hotdog. "What are we watching then?"

"Rogue One," his smile and jovial attitude returned quickly and he practically vibrated as he led the way towards the correct screening. "I've been looking forward to seeing this movie forever."

"Isn't this the one where they all die?"

"Shhh, you don't know that!" he hissed.

"Pretty sure I do, Chaton," she smiled back. "They kind of have to."

He showed their tickets to the stuttering woman guarding the entrance to their screen. Nearby, a movie must have ended because numerous people were coming out of a nearby door.

"I'm not sure if this was a good idea," Ladybug muttered. "I think people are beginning to take notice."

"We'll just say we're cosplayers," Chat Noir answered confidently. "Anyway, it's dark in the cinema, right?"

As they entered Chat Noir couldn't help but look up in awe at the massive screen. The darker room really made no difference thanks to his eyesight, but all the same he had to admire the sheer size of it.

"You ok, Chat?" Ladybug asked, gently nudging him with her elbow, before breaking into a teasing grin. "It's like you've never been to the movies before."

He shouldn't have. Not next to Ladybug, who of all people could read him like a book. But for a brief second, Chat Noir froze up.

Ladybug's eyes widened.

"You've never been?" she whispered. "Oh, I'm so sorry Chaton, I didn't know. Come on, let's find some seats. I know the best place to sit in a cinema."

Great, now she thought he was a loser. Chat Noir dejectedly followed Ladybug as she found them seats high up and near the back. His father barely even let him attend school let alone hang out with any friends. Not that he'd had any besides Chloe, who definitely wasn't a cinema girl. Everything about going to the movies he'd only ever seen in streamed movies, TV shows or anime.

Idly, Chat Noir chewed on his last hot-dog before sitting down next to Ladybug. The screen was still blank and people were still coming in, though thanks to the darkness and further back seats no one had yet noticed who they were.

Then he felt a smaller hand gently grab hold of his. His heart practically exploded out of his chest as he stared dumbstruck at Ladybug's face.

"You should probably start eating your ice cream now," she said. "If you wait for the movie to start it'll probably melt."

"B-but we've only got a few minutes," Chat protested, glad she couldn't see his red face. "The ticket says the movie starts soon."

"Yeah, but first we have to sit through forty minutes of adverts and trailers," Ladybug sighed. "Good thing you got so much food, huh?"

"Y-yeah."

That hadn't been in any of the shows he watched. It seemed the real thing was very different. Although at least Ladybug respected his privacy enough to not ask why he'd never been to a cinema before.

He really appreciated that.

"My parents said I was really scared by how loud everything was the first time they took me to the cinema," Ladybug spoke softly. "Papa said he had to put me in his lap to calm me down – I was very young."

Oh god, the thought was too cute for words; a tiny Ladybug in her father's arms.

Wait, was she also warning him that the cinema might be a little loud for his ears? They both had enhanced hearing, though his was far more acute than hers. Even now as they relaxed she was still thinking of him…

A warm simmering feeling flowed like liquid from his chest and through his limbs, heating him right down to his toes. It had been so long since someone had thought so much about him. Was he floating? He felt lightheaded and like his feet weren't touching the ground. All he could focus on was the warmth of her hand over his.

A burst of sound shook him out of his trance and Ladybug's hand let go of his. The adverts had started.

"You doing alright, Chat?"

"Y-yeah," he spoke, blinking at the bright screen. "The sound is really… much louder than I thought."

He then stuffed his mouth with food to try and ignore the sudden awkwardness. The adverts played on screen as the two watched mindlessly in silence. More and more people trickled into the room and began sitting nearby. Soon he noticed that even in the dim light they were getting some odd looks from the people around them. He supposed cat ears and tail weren't exactly common place.

As the stares and the whispers continued he began to doubt. Maybe this had been a bad idea and they should have just stuck with patrolling. But it was so amazing actually being in a cinema, and with Ladybug of all people! Everything was so much bigger and louder than he'd imagined - it was brilliant.

Then he noticed a set of eyes peering at them from the seats in front. It was a little girl, who was staring up at the two in wonder.

"Are you two really them?" she whispered, innocent eyes darting back and forth. "Are you the real Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Silently, Ladybug made eye contact with the girl, gave her a small grin and then brought her finger to her own lips and winked.

The girl's eyes practically shone, before she nodded resolutely and immediately turned back around.

"She won't say anything, Chat," Ladybug stated with a smile, grabbing a mouthful of popcorn. "Let's enjoy the movie."

"Right," Chat said, anxiously waiting for the movie to start.

He had heard that you were supposed to be quiet in a cinema, but no one really seemed to care before the movie started. People were chatting and laughing, only slightly more quiet than normal.

"You want to know something really weird?" Ladybug muttered to him, whilst he began to eat.

"What?"

"Before I became Ladybug I used to hate sweet popcorn," she admitted, idly examining a piece between her fingers. "But now I love it. I've never really thought about it before."

"Huh," Chat muttered, thinking to himself. "Now that you mention it, I have been enjoying fish more and more recently."

"Do you think our Miraculous are affecting us?"

"It's probably just us getting older," Chat decided. "Tastes change, don't they? It's not like you've started eating aphids or anything."

"True, but… well…"

Chat choked.

"My lady! Don't tell me you did!"

"Of course not!" she fired back, face red. "But I did… It wasn't that though…."

She swallowed, looking away.

"I did once… eat a… flower."

"A flower?"

"I didn't even notice," she said quickly. "It was in a greenhouse a friend of my parents had. I was babysitting their kid and she ran in there. I stopped to smell the flowers and before I realised it I… I ate one."

She buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"It just smelt so good and I didn't even realise that I'd done it. I was so lucky they didn't notice."

"That's so cute, Bugaboo," Chat Noir cooed. "I didn't think you'd ever do something like that."

"Hey, I know you like your scratches," she responded. "So, don't even think about teasing me about it."

"The thought never even crossed my mind. I would never pollen your leg like that."

"Chat."

"I'll always stand beside you, through the good times and the bud times."

"Chat."

"I saw the opportunity for a pun, but I rose above it."

"Chat."

"I'm sorry for putting you in such an orchid position."

"That one was stretching it," Ladybug said, but he could see the small smile on her face. "Oh, the movie's starting."

Indeed, the adverts and trailers had finished and the movie had just about begun. Instead of turning to the screen, Chat turned to look at her.

"I-I feel like our friendship has really blossomed."

"Chat," she turned to look at him, only to see the sincerity in his face.

His heart skipped a beat as she put her hand over his once again. She smiled and it was like the sun had risen.

"I do too."

Nothing could wipe the love-struck smile off his face that night. Not even two hours later as the movie finished and the lights came up, revealing their presence to the rest of the cinema. The two superheroes realised their predicament about the same time everyone else in the room noticed them.

Ladybug slowly waved.

"Hehe, great movie, right? Err, bug-out!"

She grabbed his hand and then leapt straight across the entire room. They flew above the startled heads of the other movie goers towards the exit. Chat laughed as they ran out of the room, followed by the flashes of camera-phones and the yells of their fans.

Ladybug dragged him through the lobby of the building, shooting past numerous people before they burst through the front doors and out onto the street.

She let go of his hand to withdraw her yoyo and leap into the air. Withdrawing his baton, Chat Noir followed after her.

They spent a good five minutes laughing and chasing each other across the rooftops of Paris before finally coming to a stop on a nearby high-rise.

"That was fun, Chat," Ladybug spoke, looking down onto the city below. "That movie was really good."

"Great, I-I had fun too," Chat answered happily.

"I'm glad I got to see it with you."

Was this the moment to tell her? This tender moment between the two as they stared down at the city they defended?

They both stared out into the City of Light, and in that moment, it truly lived up to its name. As the moon shone down on the two of them, the light from the city below rose up and in that instant, he truly _saw_ her; a protector, a superhero, the guardian of Paris. She was next to him and yet so far out of his reach it was laughable.

The words caught in his throat.

"That was really fun," Ladybug yawned, blinking sleepily. "But I think I'm going to bed now."

"Um, alright. Goodnight, Bugaboo."

"Goodnight," Ladybug spoke, before turning to give him a sly look. "Next time we do this, I'll pay, alright?"

She then threw her yoyo into the distance.

" _Cat-_ ch you later, Chaton!" Ladybug winked, before swinging away.

Chat stared after where she left, painfully aware of how hard and fast his heart was beating. He continued to stare, his mind blank as he processed what she said.

'Wait, did she say _next time_?' he realised.

She said there will be a next time!

Chat cheered, leaping several stories into the air in glee before pole-vaulting home with his baton. This had easily been one of the best evenings of his life and hopefully the beginning of many more.

It might not have been a date, he might not have worked up the courage to confess, but any excuse to spend time with her was fine in his books. He couldn't stop himself cheering and singing all the way home.

* * *

Marinette yawned and blinked her eyes blearily. Slowly she ascended the steps into school for their last day before the Christmas holidays began. How utterly unaware was she, that she completely missed the hurricane that was her best friend until Alya practically slammed into her.

"Girl, girl! Did you get my texts?! Did you see?! Did you SEE?! I knew I was right!"

"What happened, Alya?" Marinette asked patiently, barely even breaking stride.

There was always something going on that triggered this side of her best friend. A new issue of Majestia had come out, Ladybug might be this celebrity (no I'm certain this time!) or check out this amazing fanart.

"You didn't look," Alya gasped, before grabbing her phone. "How can you not know? You must be the only one in Paris, no the whole world!"

"Alya, what are you talking about?"

Alya shoved her phone into Marinette's face. On it was a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir sitting in the movie theatre. It was dark and the quality wasn't great, but from the angle you could see her hand over his.

"They're dating! They're actually dating!" Alya screeched as Marinette's brain shut down. "Oh, you should see the chaos in the LadyNoir forums! There's so many pictures of them watching the movie together!"

"Wait, the whole of Paris thinks w-they're dating?!" Marinette asked, almost desperately.

"Well yeah," Alya remarked, typing something on her phone. "I mean the two of them watching a movie together at night, holding hands like that, it's undeniable really."

"B-but friends can go see movies together, right?!" Marinette pleaded. "I mean me and you went and we're not together- Wait, what's 'LadyNoir'?"

Alya actually gasped. Slowly, she put her hands on Marinette's shoulders.

"Marinette, do you even read my blog?!"

"I do!" she protested. "I always read the main articles and watch the videos. Just… there's so many sections... I don't, err… read – or even look at - all of them?"

Alya folded her arms as Marinette laughed nervously.

"Well, now you have reason to check out the LadyNoir section," Alya said, suddenly upbeat again. "It's their couple name. You combine the first part of Ladybug with the second part of Chat Noir and voila, you get LadyNoir!"

Marinette felt a muscle under her eye twitch sharply.

"And what's in this section exactly?" she dared to ask.

"Oh, it's mostly people talking and debating the likelihood of them getting together," Alya explained. "But then it got way more popular and now there are pictures, fanart and even stories!"

Marinette could hear the blood pounding in her ears.

"P-pictures?" she squeaked, before her eyes widened in horror. "Fanart? Stories?!"

Alya was utterly unaware of the dread in her friend's voice.

"Oh yeah, although some were far too risqué - I mean children read my blog - so I had to get rid of them, but most of them are really cute and some of the stories aren't too bad either."

"R-risqué?!" Marinette shrilled.

Of her and Chat? She had no words to describe how awkward that is.

"Oh yeah, you should have seen some of them," Alya mentioned offhandedly. "They're all up on a separate website now. Some of them are _really_ good. I can show you if you want."

"NOPE! NO, NO, I-I mean, no thank you," Marinette recovered, smiling far too wide to be natural.

Alya just smirked at her friend's red face.

"Oh, I see," she said, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulder. "You know, it's ok to be attracted to other people besides model-boy. It's a big ocean, Marinette. You can't just focus on one admittedly handsome fish your whole life. You've got to appreciate all of the beauty that the ocean has to offer as well!"

"Err…"

"I mean who wouldn't want to be sandwiched between two superheroes, am I right?"

"Not listening, not listening, not listening!" Marinette yelled, holding her hands over her ears as her face defied physics and somehow grew even redder.

Alya laughed and patted her on the back.

"Lighten up, Mari! I won't make you give up your beloved. Anyway, Ladybug and Chat Noir are only interested in each other; it's true love."

Marinette frowned as they walked into the classroom. A quick survey let her know Adrien wasn't present, though Nino was. She gave him a quick greeting before sitting down with Alya, who eagerly showed her the rest of the pictures.

It would seem both her and Chat had a lot to learn about being more aware of their surroundings. There were pictures of them in the lobby and carrying their food in. Pictures of them watching the movie, before the movie and even pictures as they escaped – though most of those were very blurry.

"I take it you heard about Paris's latest power couple?" Nino queried dryly, looking up at the two of them.

"Heard about it?!" Alya chortled. "I was trying to get on site! I was only a few minutes too late as well. Stayed up until three in the morning writing about everything as well as organising and… appreciating the new torrent of fanart that came in."

"Three?!" Marinette looked at her friend in shock. "How are you even awake right now?!"

"Coffee, coffee and even more coffee," Alya smirked, before sagging like the bags under her eyes. "School ends soon, right?"

"You shouldn't stay up so late," Marinette scolded, her lips pursed with worry. "It's not worth it."

"Aw Mari, you're too good for this sinful Earth."

"What do you think of it then, Marinette?" Nino queried. "You think they're really dating?"

"It's a little dubious if you ask me," Marinette quickly said. "Just because they went to the movies together doesn't mean they're… well together."

"I think you're in denial," Alya replied.

"Kind of have to agree with Mari," Nino said. "I mean, if I was a superhero who wanted to go on a date, I probably wouldn't do it in costume. Imagine all those people gawking at them; it would be super awkward. I'd want privacy on a date, why wouldn't they?"

'Thank you, Nino!' Marinette beamed at her childhood friend.

"Exactly!" she cawed triumphantly. "It doesn't make sense!"

"True," Alya conceded. "But then why wear their costumes at all? Why not just go to the movies normally?"

Any further considerations were put on hold as Adrien entered the room. Marinette immediately sat up straighter in her seat and tried to look as if she wasn't looking at him. She squealed internally upon realising he was still wearing the scarf she made him.

"Morning," he yawned, sliding in his seat next to Nino as he unwrapped his scarf.

"Morning, dude," Nino replied. "You look totally out of it. Even worse than Marinette."

"Yeah, I was up late."

"Were you perchance up late looking at the Ladyblog?" Alya cooed, leaning in between the two boys. "Notice our city's latest couple?"

Adrien immediately blushed bright red.

"I-I-I may have checked it out a couple of times," he muttered, ignoring Nino's concerned look. "Not for very long, I swear!"

"So, what's your opinion?" Alya hounded. "Do you think they're dating? Nino and Marinette say no; me and the rest of Paris say yes."

Adrien visibly swallowed.

"W-what makes you think they were dating?" he squeaked, face growing redder.

"Seeing a movie together at night? Holding hands? Their obvious chemistry and UST?"

"Alya!" Marinette screeched.

"What? Just calling it how I see it," she shrugged. "It's pretty obvious to anyone with eyes they're meant to be together."

Marinette groaned, putting her hands over her head.

"You really think they're meant to be?" Adrien asked, a strange tone to his voice.

Marinette froze, suddenly glad he couldn't see her face. Was that wistfulness in Adrien's beautiful voice? Did he want Ladybug and Chat Noir to get together? Was he – urgh it still felt weird to think- a 'LadyNoir' supporter? She lifted her head up just enough to see Adrien's face.

"Definitely," Alya affirmed.

It wasn't that her best friend thought she was destined to be with a boy she didn't love, Marinette couldn't blame Alya for not knowing. It was the tiny, innocent and utterly adorable smile on Adrien's face at the thought of Ladybug being with Chat Noir that did it. The thought of him of all people wanting her to be with someone else drove spikes through her chest. Even though he didn't know either, it somehow hurt far, far worse than with Alya.

She couldn't say anything, couldn't react overtly – that would be suspicious. All Marinette could do was wait and try to stop her emotions building up until she was alone and could vent to Tikki.

The rest of the morning passed without notable incident, though Alya noticed her odd mood. As they were in the changing rooms for P.E.

"Hey Mari," she said softly, as Marinette came out of her stall. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, Alya," Marinette lied, inwardly wincing at the guilt. "Just tired. I bet D'Argencourt's gonna make us run laps even though it's our last day before the holidays."

Alya winced.

"Yeah, that sucks. You sure you're ok though?"

For the hundredth time Marinette wished she could tell her friend everything just so she wouldn't have to lie to everybody. She tucked her purse deeply within the locker, hiding it behind a myriad of other things. She was always paranoid of someone trying to steal Tikki when she wasn't around.

Would Tikki be mad if she told Alya? Would she take away the miraculous and leave? If she wasn't Ladybug would everything return to what it was before?

"I'm fine, Alya. Just need some sleep."

The girls all left the changing rooms soon after to end up on the track field. The boys were playing basketball inside whilst today the girls were focusing on athletics. At least Marinette could just relax a little during this. Normally D'Argencourt just had them run for a certain amount of time, before moving onto various other athletic activities. Marinette usually just kept pace with Alya and they chatted for most of it.

"Alright, since this is the last day before the break, the school has decided to register your times in certain events," D'Argencourt explained as Marinette's hope for an easy P.E session died a quick death. "This lets us know your fitness levels – something I hope that you'll all maintain over the holidays. Though I won't hold my breath."

It started with an eight-hundred metre run. The track was only wide enough for four runners at a time and to Marinette's utter displeasure, she was running against Chloe.

Chloe, despite her horrid personality and complete lack of shame or manners, did have one thing going for her beyond her looks.

She was fit.

Throughout the entire eight years that Marinette went to school with her, she never failed to rub it in Marinette's face just how much better she was at anything physical.

Whether it was simply running or any other athletic activity, Chloe always won and always rubbed Marinette's face in it.

"Hope you haven't eaten too many cookies," Chloe sneered as they lined up at the starting blocks. "Oh, what am I saying, of course you have – we've all seen you sneaking them into your purse."

Marinette froze at those words. She'd been seen feeding Tikki?

Chloe saw her reaction and gave a shark-like grin.

"Try not to have a heart attack before crossing the finish line, Mari- _fat_."

Chloe's words seemed to fade out as dread crept across Marinette's heart. That was bad. If someone saw her feeding Tikki, a ladybug-looking creature, they might draw some conclusions.

She didn't even register D'Argencourt shouting go, her feet automatically took off as her mind span in desperate circles.

If Chloe of all people had noticed her sneaking Tikki cookies, then that meant that more people would have as well – including her parents. It wasn't like anyone would come to the conclusion that she was feeding anything, but instead everyone thinks she eats an unhealthy number of cookies.

Of course, if someone did see something then it was an additional clue as to her identity. Hawkmoth might know about Tikki's recharge food, or would at least be on the lookout for any signs of it. If an akuma saw, or someone who saw became an akuma, it could be the loose thread that would lead back to Hawkmoth suspecting her.

That just left the question: what should she do about it?

Marinette sighed. It was always best to be cautious. She couldn't just stop feeding Tikki; the kwami needed to be ready and fully energized in case there was a fight. Next time she snuck Tikki a cookie, she would check that no-one was around first.

Good grief, what a day. She didn't have the energy to deal with all of this. No matter what she did, she just couldn't seem to shake off this sleepiness.

"Marinette!"

She broke out of her trance just after she crossed the finish line. Marinette shook herself to wake up.

"Um, how did I do?" she asked, only to see the slack-jawed mouth of D'Argencourt.

"Sir?"

After several more seconds of silence, Chloe ran past the finish line red-faced and out of breath. The blonde fixed Marinette with a menacing glower as she panted. It was with horror that Marinette then realised that she herself wasn't even breathing hard.

Quickly, she began to pant and wiped off imaginary sweat from her forehead. Dread began to build within her the longer D'Argencourt remained silent. Then whatever trance that came over him vanished and his blue eyes locked with hers.

"One minute, fifty-one seconds dead," he breathed.

"Oh," Marinette responded, a little confused. "Err, is that good enough?"

"G-good enough?!" D'Argencourt choked. "Miss Dupain-Cheng you could participate in the Olympics with a time like that!"

"W-what?!"

Marinette felt her heart drop down into her stomach. That was impossible! There was no way she was that fit! Marinette hadn't done much beyond the bare minimum of sports her whole life. There's no way she could have run that ridiculously fast.

Her face went pale as realisation kicked in.

Oh-no.

She had forgotten.

Her powers as Ladybug were bleeding through into her civilian form. First at the bakery and now this? It had completely slipped her mind.

Well it's not like she ever really tried during P.E. She usually just kept pace with Alya-

Oh.

Now she thought of it, since the last couple of months she hadn't ever really gotten tired during P.E, or doing anything physical outside of being Ladybug.

Crap! If only she'd actually tried during P.E she might have been paying more attention!

"Err, the watch must be broken!" Marinette covered quickly. "There's no way I could have run that fast!"

D'Argencourt seemed sceptical, but nevertheless he examined his watch with a keen eye. Unable to keep quiet any longer, Chloe stepped forwards.

"What the hell was that?!" she screeched, marching up to Marinette. "I don't know how, but you must have cheated! There's no way you could have beaten me fairly! You must have taken steroids or something!"

"Steroids?!" Alya mocked, quickly moving between Chloe and Marinette. "How pathetic can you get? You lost Chloe, fair and square."

Marinette reigned in her desire to agree. Technically, as ashamed to admit it as she was, Chloe was right. Her Ladybug powers weren't anything that came from her, they came with the miraculous. What were they but magical steroids?

Honestly, it wasn't fair to Chloe and, Marinette's throat clogged up at the realisation, she couldn't ever admit it to anyone. Could she even play any sort of sports with normal people without it being obvious how enhanced she was?

Did it mean that she could no longer take pride in any sort of physical accomplishment ever again? She could never try her hardest without blowing her cover and if she did, she would easily outperform everyone. Not because she was more talented or worked harder, but because she was simply physically superior to the rest of them.

Anyone else could have done it if they had the Ladybug Miraculous.

It left an awful taste in her mouth.

"Monsieur D'Argencourt," Marinette piped up, ready to make her offer. "I could run again so we could get a proper time."

"I'm not sure if that's necessary, Miss Dupain-Cheng," he began, before Marinette interrupted him.

"I just don't think it will look good if a fake time is posted for me! They might think it's fake and call in the rest of the results."

D'Argencourt seemed thoughtful, before reluctantly acquiescing.

"You do have a point and this time is… quite frankly ridiculous for a thirteen year old. Very well you may run again with the next group."

"Thank you, sir."

The next race she made sure to stay alert and to keep pace behind Alix. Alix was the fittest girl in class, even more so than Chloe, so all she had to do was keep an even distance between them.

"Hmm, two minutes and thirty seconds," D'Argencourt declared, as Marinette made a show of holding her knees and panting.

For a terrifying moment, his icy blue eyes met hers, and she could practically see the suspicion in them.

"A much more reasonable time," he decided, before dismissing her to the next activity.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just another hour and a half of this torture to go," she muttered, trudging off towards where the other girls were gathered.

There was a word Marinette would later use to describe the rest of the session. Tedious. That was the word, tedious. Having to be extra careful not to do anything to stand out. D'Argencourt seemed to suspect something was up, so she had to be extremely careful.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, her natural clumsiness combined with her nerves from D'Argencourt watching made her second-to-last in the hurdles. It was almost worth hearing Chloe's crowing laughter as she tumbled over the finish line to know he was at least a little less suspicious of her.

She nearly messed up the shot-put completely. If it hadn't been for Alya complaining how heavy the ball was just before her go, she wouldn't have even noticed the weight. She was so careful not to stand out that she overcompensated. Marinette was forced to watch with burning cheeks as the shot failed to go anywhere whilst hearing Chloe's shrieking laughter.

Slowly, event by event, Marinette managed to build up a solid reputation as the least physically competent person in their year. She could run, but anything else she did consistently badly.

By the end of the session, Chloe was practically walking on airs and Marinette felt emotionally drained.

It was even worse than before.

When Chloe used to bully her about this, there was just a dull kind of acceptance over it. Now she had the power to make Chloe eat her words but couldn't even utilise it.

'I just want to go home,' Marinette thought to herself as she pushed open the changing room doors. 'Too much has happened today; I'm exhausted.'

She didn't even see the leg until she was already falling over it.

 _Slam!_

Marinette cried out in surprise and pain as her face smashed into the floor.

"Whoops," Chloe cooed, withdrawing her leg and sneering down at Marinette. "You should really watch where you're going, Mari-trash! Although I guess if trash like you belongs anywhere it's on the floor."

"Chloe…" Marinette growled from the floor.

"What is your problem, Chloe?!" Alya again stepped in-between the two, looking ready to throw down.

"The only 'problem' around here is lying on the floor behind you," Chloe stalked away with a laugh. "I'm sure Adrien will be very impressed to hear about your fitness, Mari-fat. Better luck next time you try to upstage me!"

"That little…" Alya snarled as Marinette slowly got to her feet. "Are you alright, Mari? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Marinette replied honestly. "Just my pride."

Alya put an arm around her and they retreated to their corner of the changing room.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Alya whispered fiercely. "You've been quiet all period; you never have trouble putting Chloe in her place."

Alya's eyes widened.

"Has that bitch got dirt on you?" she muttered. "Don't worry, Mari, I know how to deal with those sorts of people. I'll go all Lady Wifi on her ass!"

"No, no," Marinette laughed. "I know I'm being weird. It's just – I've got stuff on my mind, ok?"

Alya frowned, suddenly thoughtful.

"Is this about Ladybug and Chat Noir being together?"

"They're not together!" Marinette hissed, before clamming up.

Alya's mouth hung open.

"Oh my god, that's it, isn't it?" she realised. "You're mad that they're together!"

"They're not together!" she protested.

"Mari, answer me honestly," Alya put her hands on Marinette's shoulders and leaned in. "Do you have a crush on Chat Noir?"

"What?!"

"Or Ladybug!" Alya added. "I'm not judging."

Marinette spluttered. She had to force herself to calm down before taking a deep breath.

"I don't have a crush on either of them," she managed. "I'm just not feeling great today. Thank you for asking though, Alya. It means a lot."

She gave her best friend a hug.

"You're the best."

"Oh, Mari," Alya smiled, hugging her back. "That's what best friends are for. Let's get lunch together, alright?"

The two separated to get changed back into their normal clothes. Today had been close, far closer than it should have been. She doubted Chat Noir ever had difficulty hiding his powers. Tonight, when everyone else had gone home, she'd come back to the school and see exactly what she could do.

* * *

'Everyone thinks we're dating,' Chat Noir thought to himself, feeling utterly numb. 'Everyone thinks we're dating.'

He was once again on top of the Eiffel Tower contemplating to himself what a mess he'd made this time. There were no akumas, no patrols he had to do, he was here solely to clear his head after an enlightening day of school.

What if she thought this whole movie thing was to make people think they were dating? That he had been manipulating their image?

What if it causes an akuma?

So many 'what if's circling around and around inside his head. Chat Noir groaned in frustration, before standing up on the railing. Extending his baton, he jumped and began to make his way around the city.

It was always a workout unlike any other. He would pole-vault, jump and sprint across a variety of rooftops and structures. As he practically flew across the city, he could stop thinking about the situation and just simply _move_.

Nothing could catch him as he went through arrondissement after arrondissement. Sprinting sometimes on two legs, other times on four, jumping clear over buildings as he slowly gathered momentum. He leapt higher and higher with each bound until finally with a mighty push of his legs he shot so high into the air he was clearing entire neighbourhoods. For what seemed like ages he continued, practically flying across and around the city of Paris.

With some careful aim, and a simple extension of his baton he came to a halt, balanced perfectly on his weapon.

Chat Noir panted. There was a pleasant ache in his body – an ache that had been almost completely absent in his civilian life since he'd gotten his powers. It honestly felt amazing to actually push himself physically without the danger of an akuma hanging over his head.

A quick glance, he looked around and realised his familiar surroundings. He wasn't too far from his school, which meant the way home would be quite simple. He could easily clear the school entirely with a single jump.

Chat grinned at the challenge and made his way forwards. Leap after leap, jump after jump, in virtually no time he was next to the school and judging the distance critically. He prepared himself, but stopped as he spotted a figure out on the grounds. The street lights cast enough illumination over the grounds that even without his powers, he could have spotted them.

Curious, he leapt onto the roof of the school to get a closer look at the figure standing on the running track. His eyes widened in surprise, it was Marinette!

"What is she doing here?" he wondered out loud.

Marinette was dressed in what seemed to be in a running tracksuit. She had her hands on her knees and was panting furiously whilst muttering to herself.

It all clicked together suddenly.

Chloe had been practically bragging about Marinette's terrible P.E. scores all afternoon. By the end of the day the whole school had known.

Even he, as socially oblivious as he is, had noticed people laughing and joking about it behind her back (and sometimes in front of her). Yet despite all that she had her head held high the entire time, ignoring the barbs from passers-by and from Chloe and Sabrina with grace.

To be honest, Adrien had been expecting an akumatized Marinette before school let out and had breathed a sigh of relief when she had walked off seemingly none the worse for wear.

Yet here she was outside of school hours and working on improving herself by running around the athletics running track.

Not for the first time, Chat Noir wished that he hadn't screwed up their first meeting. She truly was an incredibly strong person. As if the incident with the Illustrator hadn't been enough proof of her character.

Perhaps an encouraging visit from a local superhero would lift her spirits?

Chat grinned and jumped down behind Marinette just as she lined up at one of the starting points.

"Good evening, Princess."

Marinette immediately slipped and fell face-first onto the ground in front of her. She spat out a mouthful of grass and looked incredulously at him.

"Ch-Chat Noir?!" she cried out, before putting her hands over her mouth and hissing. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighbourhood," he smiled, walking up to her and pulling her back to her feet. "So, you run?"

"What? Oh no!" Marinette answered evasively. "I was just, err practising. For fun?"

Chat nodded. He wouldn't embarrass her by questioning too much.

"I see, certainly looks like you're having fun."

"Loads of fun, I-," she suddenly stopped, face pale. "Did you see anything?"

"No, I only just arrived," Chat answered. "You did stretch before exercising, right? It's always important to do so. I can show you if you need any help."

Marinette sagged in relief.

"Yeah, I know how to stretch," she answered. "And I don't want to take up any of your time…"

Chat put a hand to his heart in mock offense.

"Why Princess, if I didn't know better I'd say you're trying to get rid of me!"

Marinette grinned a little too widely.

"Oh, of course not!" she said. "I don't want to impose."

Chat preened.

"You're not imposing at all, Princess," he smirked, leaning in. "With my help, you'll soon have guns almost as big as these."

He flexed his arms for extra effect. With delight, he caught the wry smile on Marinette's face that she tried to hide.

"Well if you insist, my hero," she cooed. "Please guide me forwards."

Chat ignored the warm tingle that went through his limbs at the epitaph and skipped towards the starting line.

"We'll start with a single lap; try to beat me," he said, gesturing for her to line up on the starting block next to his. "As much as I'm sure you'd love the view, try to keep pace instead of falling _behind_."

He wiggled his bum, making Marinette's eye twitch.

"I'll try to control myself," she replied dryly, taking her place next to him.

"On your marks," Chat called out. "Get set…"

He glanced to the side and could see the determination chiselled in Marinette's face. Chat grinned.

"And, Go…karts are great!"

Marinette tried to both run forward and stop at the same time. The result: she faltered, tripped and fell on her face again. Chat burst out laughing at the stormy red look on her face as she spat out another mouthful of grass and rounded on him.

"You cheater!"

"I'm sorry, princess," he wheezed, unable to calm down at Marinette's adorable puffed up cheeks. "I just couldn't resist."

Marinette marched right up to him.

"Listen here, you…"

Only to slip and fall once again right past him. Chat sputtered out another laugh that he quickly tried to mask with a series of coughs at the look on her face.

Red-faced, Marinette got to her feet and silently lined up on the starting block.

"This time, I'll count," she said stiffly.

"Whatever you say, princess," Chat replied, getting into position.

"On your marks," Marinette called. "Get set, and go!"

They both launched forwards, only for Chat to be yanked backwards and onto his ass.

"What the hell?!" he hollered, looking behind him.

His jaw dropped.

His tail had been tied around the starting block!

How did that happen? There was no way he'd actually manage to tie his own- Realisation struck him like lightning.

'The second time she fell, that wasn't an accident!' he realised. 'It was so she could tie it there!'

"Eat my dust, Chaton!" Marinette called from ahead.

"You cheater!" he yelled back as he quickly worked to untie the knot.

Fortunately, she hadn't had enough time for a complex knot. But by the time he was free Marinette was nearly halfway round the four-hundred metre track. He launched forwards, eager to catch up.

Of course, he was a superhero. It wasn't long before, even with her enormous lead, he began to gain on her.

"I'm catching up, princess!" he taunted.

"In your dreams!" she panted, barely ahead of him now.

It was neck and neck now. He grinned as she could only watch as he slowly passed her. She was red-faced as she strained forwards, doing everything she could to remain in the lead. Chat smiled as the end of the track approached, he had just edged her out-

"Ladybug!"

"Where?!" Chat turned, only to instantly realise his mistake. "Oh, come on!"

"Ha-ha!" Marinette yelled, surging forwards over the finish just an instant before Chat corrected himself.

She slowly came to a stop, before falling on to the ground spread-eagled and panting.

"You cheated," Chat pouted as he loomed over her, not winded in the slightest.

"So did you," Marinette panted, smiling despite her state.

"Yeah, but I only cheated once, princess," Chat said, crouching down. "You cheated twice. By my count that makes you twice the cheater I am."

"And also twice the winner."

"It's not a win if you cheat."

"That's exactly what a loser would say."

Chat mock glared at her, before sniggering.

"Woe is me, bested by my princess," he staggered, a hand held to his forehead. "How will this faithful knight ever regain his honour?"

Marinette tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a wheeze. Immediately, Chat was over her and had his arms around her.

"You shouldn't lie down after heavy exercise," he lectured to her silent astonishment. "It's best to keep moving. It keeps the blood flowing."

He heaved her onto her feet.

"Also, you should stretch afterwards," he continued, brushing some grass off the back of her tracksuit. "Otherwise you'll be sore tomorrow."

Chat looked up to catch her staring at him.

"What?"

She blinked, before quickly looking away.

"Nothing, just… a weird day."

"I know the feeling," he agreed.

"About you and Ladybug?" she guessed.

He grimaced.

"Yeah," he admitted, idly taking out his baton. "I'm worried about how she's taking it."

"I'm sure she's dealing with it just fine."

"I'm not worried about how she's dealing with it, she's super tough," Chat said, looking down at the ground. "I'm worried that she might think I did it on purpose. That I wanted people to think we're dating when we're not – we're not by the way."

Marinette nodded kindly.

"I just wanted to spend some time with her," he confessed sadly. "I didn't mean for it all to blow up like that."

Chat Noir felt hands on his shoulders. He looked up only to be captured by Marinette's intense gaze.

"I'm certain she knows that," Marinette said confidently. "I don't think Ladybug blamed you for a second. You're way too good for that and I'm sure Ladybug would agree, if not even more so."

Chat was taken aback, but smiled as a warm fluttery feeling took hold.

"Thank you, princess."

Marinette smiled back.

"Thank you for the advice," she responded. "I'll make sure to stretch."

Thunder boomed overhead.

"Uh-oh," Marinette said, looking at the sky. "I'd better be getting home."

"I'll escort you," Chat replied. "Can't have a lady walking the streets alone at night."

"Chat, I live literally across the street," she laughed. "I can see my front door from here."

"Still," he said defensively. "My knightly duties demand that I escort you."

"It would take like two minutes tops."

"Do your parents know you're out this late?"

Silence.

"I thought so," he grinned.

Quickly, he scooped her up into his arms. Marinette hooked her arms around his neck without thinking as he carefully held her in a bridal carry.

"One balcony entrance coming right up," Chat declared as he began to run towards her house. "Please keep your hands and legs inside the ride at all times until we have come to a complete stop."

His heart soared as she laughed. Then immediately after he soared. Without bothering with his baton, he simply leapt all four stories and landed neatly up on her balcony.

"Here we are."

"Thanks," Marinette said sincerely. "You can put me down now."

"Aw, do I have to?" he pouted melodramatically.

"This princess needs her rest," Marinette answered in a tone that broke no argument. "And a certain knight had better be going straight home and getting his rest as well."

"If that is your decree, then I have no choice but to obey."

He carefully put her down.

"Thanks Chat Noir, it was really nice seeing you again."

"Same," he said sincerely, before rubbing the back of his head. "Um, friends?"

He awkwardly held out his hand.

Marinette blinked at the gesture. Slowly, trying to hide his disappointment, he lowered his hand.

"Er, sorry- oof!"

Marinette's hug nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Of course, we're friends, silly," she admonished him tenderly.

Chat's heart beat faster as the warm feeling spread through him. Gradually, his arms came round to encircle Marinette and return the hug.

"Thank you, Marinette."

"Can't have my favourite superhero thinking I don't appreciate him."

"Favourite? Really?" Chat was stunned. "You mean more than Ladybug?"

"That's what favourite means," Marinette beamed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Believe me, no one appreciates you like I do."

They stayed in silence for a few moments.

Eventually the hug loosened and the two parted.

"Goodnight, Chat," Marinette waved as she opened the trapdoor to her room. "Get some sleep, alright?"

"I will," Chat replied, turning to leap away from the balcony. "Err, goodnight as well!"

Thunder rumbled overhead once again.

Chat jumped away from the balcony, ready to return home and definitely not ready to confront these strange new feelings in his chest.

* * *

 **A/N: There's the latest chapter. Let me know what you all think!  
**

 **It might be awhile before I can update again, so hopefully this keeps you satiated!**


	8. Chapter 8: Miracu-House

**A/N: Enjoy this latest chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Miracu-house**

It wasn't even darkness; not like we know it. Like the inside of an eyelid, an indescribable mess of not-quite colour, but not-quite absence of colour either.

It was all there ever was.

All there ever had been.

She wasn't floating, for there was nothing to float in. She wasn't drifting, for there was nowhere for her to drift towards or from.

She wasn't living, for there was no life.

Existence.

That sounded right.

She existed and continued to exist. Ever unchanging, eternal in her being, for there was no passing of time. Unchanging, static and perpetual.

Forever.

Then at some point, a revelation occurred.

She had wondered.

 _ **'What if there was more than me?'**_

Marinette awoke with a soft gasp. She drunkenly blinked away the remnants of her dream, the details already fading like fog on a warm summers day. Even from her attic-like bedroom, the air felt strangely charged, and the city seemed oddly quiet. With the lack of care only an exhausted teenage girl could manage, she turned towards her phone.

'Four o'clock?' she thought, staring at her silent alarm near her bed. 'Why am I awake?'

Shivering, she wrapped the covers around herself and her cat plush tighter. Winter was in full swing now and Marinette was once again reminded of her hastily converted room's lack of insulation as the insidious season's grasp enveloped her.

The bakery did a great job of heating up the floor just below her, but it couldn't quite match the onslaught of cold air that battered the outside of her room. It was far worse than last year – even with the windows closed it was too cold.

Marinette tucked her legs in as far as she could, wrapping herself around her large cat-plush, as if the creature would suddenly spring to life and cuddle her back. An odd weakness in her limbs had been plaguing her lately, and the sudden chill in her room wasn't helping. She felt her eyes linger on the familiar shadow that her plush cast over her bedroom wall. Slowly, ever so slowly, Marinette's eyelids drooped as she felt blessed sleep tiredly creep back up over her.

Her eyes opened wide.

Shadow?!

There shouldn't be any light for a shadow.

Silently, she sat up in her bed and looked down.

The computer was on. A tiny shadow was silhouetted against the bright screen, holding the computer mouse and staring silently.

An arm to shield herself from the blinding light, Marinette carefully climbed down her bed and walked towards the computer, her eyes squinting at the tiny figure fluttering in the air.

"Tikki?"

"Aaah!" the kwami screamed.

She jumped further into the air and clicked the mouse rapidly.

Whatever was on the screen vanished before Marinette could get a good look at it and she was stuck looking into the wide-eyes of her other partner.

"M-Marinette, what are you doing up so late?" Tikki questioned, before taking on a motherly disproving tone. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Marinette wasn't having any of it. She folded her arms, ignoring how they ached.

"What are _you_ doing up so late, Tikki?" she challenged. "And since when did you know how to use my computer?"

The kwami pouted.

"Nothing important," she claimed, trying to hide the computer mouse behind her back despite it being larger than her.

"And I figured it out from watching you. I can't be the kwami of Creation without some reasoning skills."

Marinette looked over towards her computer. She was sure it was her browser that had been up. Why had Tikki been on the internet?

"Marinette," Tikki warned, returning to her previous tone. "I would appreciate it if you respect my privacy. Go back to sleep. You're still young, you need your rest."

Marinette frowned in indignation.

"Tikki, you need your rest as well," she scolded. "And it's my computer and you woke me up!"

Tikki sighed, floating over to nuzzle her Chosen's forehead.

"Alright, I'll turn it off, but only if you go straight to sleep. You have a big day coming up tomorrow and Chat will need you at your best, so you don't make any _rash_ decisions."

Marinette flinched at the reminder of her disaster over Christmas. She was still kicking herself for ignoring Adrien's warnings about Santa. The boy probably still hated Ladybug for what she did. She had just been so _sure_.

She pushed those thoughts down before the guilt could overwhelm her – she'd never get to sleep like that. Tikki was right; she needed to sleep. She and Chat had a big day tomorrow and she was a little nervous about making a mess of things and getting the Mayor angry.

"But what were you doing?"

"Nothing important, now off to bed," Tikki trilled.

"Yes, _maman,_ " Marinette muttered sarcastically, before another wave of cold caused her to shiver.

The floor felt like ice and made her legs feel weak.

"Are you feeling alright, Marinette?" Tikki asked, concerned. "You don't look too good."

"My arms and legs ache," she moaned. "Am I ill?"

Tikki frowned and flew straight towards Marinette's face.

"Hold still," she commanded gently and pressed her tiny stubs to Marinette's forehead.

Marinette suddenly felt a pinprick of warmth at the spot Tikki touched. It felt so satisfying against the cold of the room that she leaned in, closing her eyes in bliss.

As soon as it came, it left and the cold quickly rushed back into her limbs. Marinette shivered and found herself staring at a concerned Tikki.

"You're suffering from sleep deficiency."

It was like a clap of thunder. Marinette blinked in disbelief.

"B-but, I've been sleeping fine!" she protested. "I always make sure to go to bed early when there isn't an akuma."

"Yes, you've been sleeping well for a human…" Tikki admitted. "However, not for a ladybug in the middle of the winter."

Marinette gaped.

"Th-this is another stupid Miraculous thing?!"

"I'm afraid so. The cold is only exasperating things…"

"There's got to be something I can do!" Marinette begged, barely stifling a yawn. "I can't afford to sleep all winter!"

"Stay warm," Tikki advised. "Don't overexert yourself. Eat regularly, but not so much that you stuff yourself-,"

"Fat chance of that…" muttered Marinette, crossing her arms.

Tikki's gaze softened even further.

"Marinette, you shouldn't let them get to you. You know that it's not true."

"I can hardly prove them wrong, can I?" she bit back, more bitterly than she had meant. "Chloe's made sure the whole school thinks the same. Some days I just want to show them all what I can really do…"

"It's a slippery slope, Marinette," Tikki warned her chosen. "You know how easy it is to go too far. Your gym teacher has been watching you carefully."

"We've got another fitness test when we get back to school, can't I just say I did a lot of athletics over the break?"

"Not until I'm sure you have the proper control to not give yourself away."

"Please, Tikki! People are laughing at me!" Marinette yelled. "Chloe's spreading rumours and if Adrien hears then he'll think I'm a fat slob!"

"Your safety is more important, Marinette," Tikki stated resolutely. "I will not compromise on this. Now go to bed; you need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."

Too tired, cold and hurt to debate her kwami, Marinette turned away and stalked back to bed.

"Goodnight, Tikki," Marinette murmured, closing her eyes as the light faded from the computer screen.

Below her, unseen by the thirteen-year old, Tikki finally let her stern façade falter and the tears fall down her face.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," she mumbled, already sensing the hurt fade from her Chosen as sleep almost immediately claimed the girl. "I know it's hard, but you have to stay strong."

Tikki wiped her tears away before floating softly up to her charge. She giggled at the sight of Marinette already fast asleep, drooling a little, with her arms and legs wrapped around the huge cat plush like a baby. The girl was, like many children her age, more exhausted than she had realised.

There was something so peaceful about watching her chosen like this, Tikki mused to herself as she gazed at Marinette with affection. She was so young, full of so much potential.

They all had been.

Having age without measure brought a certain wisdom that most people couldn't fully grasp. Tikki watched silently, enraptured with the gentle motion of her Chosen's chest as she softly breathed in and out.

There were still far more challenges for her and Chat Noir to overcome. This situation was not one that they had encountered before. It was rare that the Butterfly Miraculous would be stolen and misused – and never for this long. Those who possessed knowledge of the Miraculous tended to go after the most powerful such as hers or the most destructive such as Plagg's. It was unusual indeed that someone recognised the unique advantage of the Butterfly and managed to effectively use it as leverage to obtain what they wanted.

Hawkmoth's strategy was genius in its simplicity. They had no way to identify him; no way to attack. This reduced them to solely defence unless Hawkmoth slipped up and made a mistake. Tikki had been present in war tents since humanity first figured out which side of the rock was best for striking others – she knew strategy. With no reliable way to attack their opponent it was only a matter of time.

Eventually one of Hawkmoth's akuma would get lucky and then that would be the end. As amazing as both Marinette and Plagg's wielder are, they are still children. Neither of them had realised the open-endedness of their duty – how they could be effectively stuck like this for the rest of their lives, or at least until…

Marinette shivered in her sleep, clutching the toy tightly. Tikki sighed fondly and with her tiny paws she grabbed the covers. With a little effort, she tugged them over the sleeping girl's shoulders. Marinette smiled in her sleep, holding onto her impromptu pillow even tighter as she buried her face into her silent companion's furry side.

It was with a heavy heart that Tikki acknowledged these moments of innocence would not last forever.

"Sleep well, Marinette," Tikki chimed, floating over her charge. "I'll watch over you. I promise, this won't end like the last time."

The monster roared as the black knight stabbed one of his swords into its scaly torso. It reared back in pain, fire raging in its eyes as it focused on the hero. It raised its massive foot to crush the brave hero into paste, only for a flying axe to lodge itself into the monster's knee.

It roared, its red, beady eyes turning towards the stout warrior who had thrown the attack. Dressed in so much heavy armour he looked like a walking dresser, the short green warrior's eyes narrowed as he watched the monster draw closer. He lowered his mighty shield, his eyes barely visible over the top and braced himself for the onslaught.

Beautiful music suddenly filled the air. Behind the green warrior, a lady in red serenely played a magic flute, eyes locked on the approaching monster. The song gave the green warrior strength and courage as the colossal monster charged towards him. He dug his heels in and groaned as the monster collided with his shield. His foe was mighty, but he was mightier and held his ground even as his boots carved deep rivets into the soil below him. A shadow appeared silhouetted against the sun above; the distracted monster was unaware of the black death approaching from behind.

The black knight raised his sword over his head, the monster's weak back exposed for his blade to pierce. With a triumphant cry he –

"Adrien, I'm hungry!" Plagg's face suddenly took up Adrien's screen.

"No!" Adrien screamed, pushing the kwami out of the way and clicking his computer mouse furiously. "I have to use my Devastator attack! It's the only thing that can defeat the Bog-monster! Come on, come on!"

"What are you even doing?" Plagg asked, floating by Adrien's head and squinting at the screen. "You're normally sleeping right now."

"It's a special guild quest," Adrien explained, his bloodshot eyes never leaving the screen. "It needs at least three people and there's only a limited time to get the best rewards!"

"I didn't understand any of what you just said," Plagg admitted. "I don't even understand how your weird light-box works."

"'Light-box'?" Adrien repeated incredulously. "I keep forgetting how old you are. It's a computer, Plagg, remember? And I am playing a computer game."

"Game? It just looks like you're beating up monsters to me. Except you do that in real life as well."

"Guess I'm just good at it," Adrien smirked, his chest puffing up proudly. "You see Plagg, thanks to modern technology I'm actually playing with people all over the world. This game is a MMORPG."

Plagg slowly blinked one eye, then the other. Adrien spoke up again.

"You see it stands for-,"

"Does it stand for getting me camembert? Because if it doesn't then I don't care."

"Ladybug would appreciate it," Adrien huffed, turning back to his game.

"Oh boy…"

"It's all about getting stronger as well as strategy," Adrien explained, his face lighting up. "You see Plagg, everyone has a role to play in a party-,"

"Is there cheese at the party?" Plagg perked up. "Oh, there used to be such good cheese served at parties last time I was around. Ah, the benefits of noble life…"

"N-no!" Adrien spluttered. "Not that kind of party! It's a collection of people who come together to perform quests."

"… like a fellowship?"

"Right!" Adrien grinned, before puffing out his chest. "Now if you look at my character on the screen, I'm level 100 and my class is Champion."

"…Huh?"

"That means I'm really strong and it's my job to deal damage to the enemy. I fight with two swords, that way I can keep hitting them and keep dealing as much damage as possible!"

"How heroic…"

"The short guy in green is a guardian, he's the tank," Adrien continued, ignoring him. "He draws the monster's attention and takes all the blows."

"Sounds like you," Plagg noted. "Are you sure you're playing this game, right?"

"And the girl in red," Adrien's ability to ignore his kwami was second nature by this point. "Is a bard. She heals and buffs us with magical songs, so we can do our jobs better."

He sighed, staring at the woman in red on his screen. Plagg followed his chosen's eyes to read the name in white text floating above the woman's head: XxLadybug777xX.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he muttered.

"I mean, it can't just be a coincidence, right?" Adrien asked. "I mean look at how she's dressed! Red with black features! And she has the same colour hair as _her_! And that name, and she's in my guild?! Like, this can't all be a coincidence! Maybe Ladybug plays this game as well!"

He looked desperately at Plagg, as if the kwami could confirm this.

Plagg took one look at Adrien's sleep-deprived, blood-shot eyes and his hopeful, slightly-unhinged smile.

"Time for bed, Adrien," Plagg decided, for once realising he had to be responsible. "You have to be up for a photoshoot in like two hours."

"What, don't be silly, I only just started playing," Adrien laughed, before looking at his watch. "See, it's only… f-four thirty…"

Adrien looked up from his watch as realisation dawned on him. It felt like his heart was falling into a pit.

"Father is going to kill me."

"Yep."

"And if I die before midday, Ladybug is going to kill me!"

"Yep."

"We're meeting those children tomorrow!"

"Yep."

"I'm not gonna be able to focus and she'll…" Adrien gulped in fear, rubbing his sweaty palms together at the thought of his lady's wrath. "…be disappointed in me."

"Most likely."

"What do I do, Plagg?!"

"I dunno," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I prefer sleeping in the day myself, and evidently so do you. Just say you can't make it."

"I can't say that!" Adrien grabbed his hair. "I can't just blow off something like this. I'm supposed to be a superhero!"

"It's an overrated concept," Plagg idly fiddled with his whiskers. "Chat Noirs used to just do whatever they felt like - none of this superhero nonsense."

"Well I'm not like them," Adrien ran his hands through his hair as he paced. "Come on, think, think!"

Dark shadows under his eyes would definitely affect his image, which meant Natalie would tell his Father and his Father would likely get rid of any 'distraction' that was preventing him sleeping. But it wasn't that which worried him. Adrien had his own makeup-kit in his bathroom, with a little bit of effort he could hide his bags, it was what came after that had him worried.

The thought of arriving at the orphanage after the photoshoot and seeing the disappointment on his Lady's face when she realised he was too tired to be his usual exuberant self was pulling him apart. It made him squirm with how uncomfortable he felt. How could he make her happy?

Ladybug was a girl. How do guys normally make girls happy? What do girls like?

His mind turned to his - sadly limited - experience of social interactions. Nino and he hadn't really fought yet, but any minor disagreements they patched up immediately. He and Chloe on the rare occasion he upset her; she usually just made him apologise and go shopping with her.

Somehow, he doubted that would impress Ladybug. Though he did internally swoon at the idea of going anywhere with her.

Adrien cursed his lack of experience with girls, idly aware that this probably wouldn't be the last time he cursed such a thing.

What did he know about Ladybug? What would she appreciate?

Think, Adrien! If he arrived tomorrow and Ladybug crossed her arms and asked him why he was so tired what would he respond with that would placate her?

There was that one thing he had been working on…

Plagg took one look at his chosen's slightly unhinged, sleep-deprived expression and immediately decided he was done for the night. He flew straight to his little nest near Adrien's bed and curled up into a ball. He did his best to try and block out the sounds of his chosen plotting throughout the rest of the early morning.

Ladybug landed on the roof of the large building and took in a steadying breath. It was lunchtime and she had only had time to eat half of her lunch before having to make her way here. Even after the New Year, most people were still purchasing from her parent's bakery. The place was rather far from central Paris and she didn't have long before they would miss her.

She held in a shiver. A light coating of snow lay on the ground like sugar on a pastry, and despite the sun shining brightly in the sky, the air was colder than it seemed. Even on such a day, Paris was still bustling with the occasional car and echoes of conversation.

Ladybug breathed in deeply, taking in the air of her city. Here so high up, she felt so far above the pettiness of her school troubles, of her worries about friends and her future. Yet, eventually they would always catch up to her and drag her mood down.

Alya had been more than supportive and she was certain Adrien at least hadn't bought into the rumours. Ladybug sighed happily at the thought of Adrien, absent-mindedly checking her yo-yo for signs of her absent partner. Even with people spreading rumours about her looks, he was still as kind as ever.

She sighed lovingly. Maybe she should do something for him. Valentine's day was coming up in a couple of months, that would be perfect for her confession!

A sudden beeping sound alerted her to her yo-yo. A pawprint symbol had appeared a few streets away. Chat had obviously just transformed and was on his way. About time, they only had a couple of minutes before they'd be expected.

Ladybug closed her yo-yo and looked down over the lip of the building. She could already see the area they were supposed to be attending. It was marked by balloons and little kids shouting and screaming like they so often did.

'Little kids?' a part of her repeated back to her mockingly. 'Some of them are older than I am.'

Like she needed that reminder. Honestly, giving a speech to orphan children when she was still a child herself? Like she had everything figured out? What did the Mayor honestly expect to come out from something like this?

She looked outwards towards the gathering cars and people from outside the orphanage. She was able to quickly spot several large cameras that indicated professional photographers, as well as the slightly cheaper ones belonging to tourists. They all stood pressed up against the iron gates leading up to the building she was standing on top of.

Turns out a couple of superheroes turning up to a charity event will increase the turnout by about tenfold.

At least some good was coming from this.

"My lady!" a familiar voice remarked from behind.

"Chat," she greeted amiably, turning towards her partner with a smile as he walked up towards her.

He gave her a lopsided grin, although it seemed a little nervous for some reason. Perhaps he was having some second thoughts about this event as well?

"How've you been, Chaton?" she grinned, punching him gently on his arm. "Haven't seen you around since Christmas!"

"I guess even Hawkmoth has to take a vacation," Chat smiled back, rubbing his arm absent-mindedly.

Was it her or did he seem distracted?

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, peering up at him.

Chat blinked, before affixing his face with another smirk.

"It's nothing, my lady. Although I did notice something."

He loomed over her, blocking the light so she could only see his green eyes. It would have been intimidating if it wasn't her partner.

"Is it just me or are you smaller than usual, my lady?"

Ladybug blinked, before noticing that she was having to tilt her head up more to meet his gaze than last time.

"I guess you've grown," she says, annoyed at knowing what was about to come. "Congrats."

"Are you sure you didn't shrink?" he teased as she predicted, his face splitting into a large grin as he leant over her. "I could have sworn you almost came up to my nose last time I saw you. Now you're at my chin."

"I'm certain," she growled, pushing him away. "I'll grow, just you wait!"

"I'm sure you will, Babybug," his infuriating grin never leaving his face. "Both my parents are over six foot, I've still got plenty of growing to do. How about you?"

Ladybug refused to say anything.

"Bugaboo?"

"Shut up, Chat," she turned away him. "My dad is huge, he's way over six foot – I'll grow."

"What about your mom?"

Ladybug refused to say anything or acknowledge the hot flush of embarrassment that rose to her face.

"My laaady…" he stretched out, coming up behind her.

She refused to dignify him with a response. So what if her maman was short? So what if she was only just as tall as her? She was only thirteen, she would grow!

Then to her eternal humiliation he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Bugaboooo…" he sang.

"None of your business, Chat," she snapped, stepping away and putting him off-balance. "Now that you're finally here, we can start this event."

Chat stared after her as she jumped down from the building to land in front of the children. The kids roared in excitement, cheering her name and surging forwards. Ladybug let herself forget Chat's comments as she was tackled by some young children and hoisted them into the air. They laughed as she put them down, before greeting and shaking hands with as many people as she could. People shoved notebooks and posters and all sorts of things with her and Chat's faces on that they wanted her to sign.

Behind her, Chat Noir landed silently and was also quickly swarmed with admirers and people asking for autographs. There were so many kids swarming them, she could use the help to divert the attention.

Another small child threw themselves at her and Ladybug caught them, holding the kid easily with one hand whilst she signed someone's notebook with her other.

It was so easy to let herself forget that she was Marinette, a baker's daughter. A clumsy thirteen-year old girl who gets ridiculed by people at her school for being fat and had only one friend in the whole world. Signing her signature with slightly more force than necessary, Ladybug painted on a smile. She would forget about being Marinette for a little while. She deserved a break. It was easier instead to be the Miraculous Ladybug anyway.

It was worryingly easy to slip into her alter-ego and begin welcoming everyone to the event. She leapt onto the podium that had been setup, waving enthusiastically to the squealing children.

Chat Noir stood silently behind her as the gates were opened and reporters and tourists swarmed them. Speeches had become much easier since that party a couple of months ago. Now the countless faces of people looking up expectantly at her was no longer intimidating.

She smiled and began to speak.

Ladybug was avoiding him.

It had become increasingly more obvious as the event continued that she was trying to keep him at a distance. It had been a couple of hours of him trailing after her as she shook hands with, talked to and even hugged some of the children. No matter how close he got, she would suddenly turn and move in the other direction, someone else having managed to grab her attention. As he had his own admirers to entertain he couldn't exactly confront her now.

Not to mention his own lack of energy was obvious. Chat just couldn't maintain his usual exuberant personality in front of so many people. He hadn't even managed to apologise beforehand, since Ladybug had leapt right in without warning him.

Had it been something he said? His tired mind cast back to the rooftop. He couldn't recall insulting her. Or had he been so exhausted he slipped up somehow? Was it the mention of his parent's heights? Did that count as personal information?

His thoughts swirled around and around inside his head with no end in sight. He couldn't focus on the questions or the children's questions or requests. His tiredness and lack of focus was beginning to show.

Chat gave another glance to Ladybug as she talked to a nearby reporter, numerous microphones pointing at her, urging people to donate to the charity.

"Oh, Chat? Yes, he's a little tired," he heard her explain. "Forgive him for not being at his best."

She shot him a quick look over her shoulder and he had to hold back a wince. It seemed people had noticed his lack of energy. Thankfully it wasn't long before their scheduled time was up. Chat quickly tapped Ladybug on the shoulder and signalled to the rooftops.

"Remember, please donate to the fund, as everyone, no matter their origins, deserves a chance at a future! Thank you!" Ladybug finished, waving as the crowd cheered.

Turning to her partner, she nodded and the two leapt up onto the rooftops, out of sight and hearing of the people below. Chat sighed in relief, before turning to his partner. She still looked annoyed with him.

"Alright, Chat, what's the matter?" Ladybug crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "You've been distracted this whole event. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing – there's just something I've been working on," Chat only sort-of lied. "I lost track of time last night, but it's finished if you want to see it."

"Finished?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "Chat, what have you been doing? I've had to deal with this event practically by myself; people noticed you weren't at your best. What was it you thought was more important than this?"

He winced. Ok, maybe he had let down more than just his lady today. But he barely got any time to enjoy himself anyway! Chat felt a little stab of indignation at his Father for his hectic schedule and even at Ladybug for not being able to explain.

"I lost track of time…" Chat admitted, before perking up. "It's pretty cool though, I promise you'll love it!"

"Chat, I've got to go home. I have things I need to do."

"Please, Ladybug! Just five minutes!" he pleaded. "You won't regret it. Let me make it up to you."

She pursed her lips, before sighing.

"Fine. Show me, Chat."

"You won't regret it," he beamed, trying to earnestly convey his apology through his smile. "Follow me!"

He took out his baton and began his parkour through the city. Chat Noir held back a triumphant grin. Ladybug might be annoyed at him, but he knew her well. She was curious as to what he'd been working on, otherwise she'd never have given in to his request.

Weeks of preparation was about to pay off. He had hoped to show her when it was done, but if it would get him out of hot water now, then letting her see what he had been working on would be worth it.

It wasn't too far from the centre of Paris, though it would have taken awhile if they had to go by car or train. Chat led Ladybug to what looked like a disused warehouse. It was a building about five stories tall and a dull matted red colour. Chat landed on the sloped roof and walked towards a small shed-like brick outcropping on top of the building. Ladybug landed behind him, looking around in confusion.

"Chat? Where are we?"

"Just a little place I found, my lady," he answered, unable to keep a tinge of nervousness in his tone.

The small wall was almost covered by a large circular window. He reached for the side and pulled it open – opening it enough just large enough for someone to crawl through.

"Chat! What are you doing?!" Ladybug hissed. "This could be someone's property!"

"Relax, Bugaboo. I checked, nobody owns this place," he answered confidently. "And even if they do, they haven't done anything with it in the past month."

Ladybug shut her mouth, but still looked about anxiously as if some security guard would leap onto the roof and arrest them. Careful not to break anything, Chat opened the window enough for someone to walk through.

"After you, my lady," he bowed.

Ladybug nervously walked forwards and into the building with Chat following behind her. It was almost pitch black, with the window providing little light. Ladybug staggered forward blindly with her hands extended. Behind her, Chat flipped the light-switch.

Light flooded the room and she gasped. Chat wrung his hands nervously behind her as Ladybug slowly stepped forwards, her mouth falling into an 'o' shape as she slowly took in the room.

It was like the inside of a cottage. Instead of matching the grimy outside, the room was clean, warm and decorated with gentle colours. Several huge beanbags lay strewn across the thick, blanket-covered floor. What looked like an old disused desk stood over in one corner, looking sorely out of place in the otherwise soft room. In one corner there was a kettle and a number of snacks and in another was a laptop. Another corner had what looked like a portable heater and was what was clearly keeping the room warm.

"Ch-Chat, what is this place?" she asked, before looking up and seeing what was written in large red letters on the wall. "The Miracu-house?!"

"Not my best work," Chat admitted, sidling up to her. "I was gonna go for the Lady-club, but thought it sounded too much like the Lady-blog, so…" he trailed off.

"Chat, what is this place?"

Chat coughed to hide his embarrassment.

"Well I noticed you were shivering a lot on patrols and both of us were just sort of plain-old bored of them," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, I thought we could use a place to hang out?"

He laughed nervously.

"I mean, I've always wanted a clubhouse but my Fa- I mean I haven't ever had the opportunity to make one. I honestly spent weeks just making sure this place was clean, getting rid of spiders and cobwebs and stuff."

Ladybug just stared up at him, mouth slack.

"A-and after the whole movie debacle, where people thought we were dating," Chat babbled. "I thought if we had a place to just watch a movie without having to be in public we could avoid any more situations like that."

"Y-you actually thought about spending time with me when you didn't have to?" Ladybug whispered, barely audible.

Chat blinked.

"Er y-yeah," he said, smiling down at her. "I like spending time with you, Ladybug. I thought that was obvious."

Ladybug turned away from him for a moment. Did she not like the place? Was it too childish? It occurred to Chat that he had no idea how old Ladybug actually was. She might be way older than him, like twenty or something. She said she was still growing though, so maybe not quite that old…

"I love it," Ladybug said, voice slightly hoarse.

Before Chat had time to blink her arms were around him in a hug.

"Thank you, Chaton," she murmured into his chest. "You've really thought a lot about this, huh?"

"Yeah," he responded gently, hugging her back. "I'm really happy you liked it."

It hadn't been nearly long enough for him before Ladybug let go and gave him a smirk.

"This place is great, but are you sure this doesn't belong to anyone? How is there still electricity?"

"I'm positive," Chat answered. "No-one has been inside this place for months and look."

He walked over to the other end of the room and pulled up one of the blankets that covered the wooden floor to reveal a small metal hatch. He pulled it open and showed her downwards. Below there was nothing but a metal balcony overlooking the empty warehouse far below.

"I think this room used to be an office back when this building was in use," Chat explained peering down. "But there's no ladder anymore and this hatch actually locks from the inside. Therefore, the only way to get into this place is to either get a ladder and force open the hatch, or…"

"Come in through the window," Ladybug realised, eyes widening. "Wow! Chat, we actually have a secret hideout!"

He grinned back at her, shutting the hatch and locking it, before standing back to his full height. Ladybug's eyes shone with childlike excitement as she ran over towards the bare wall, gesturing wildly.

"This is amazing, Chaton," she breathed, closing her eyes. "I need to put some stuff in here too. We can make this a proper base for us!"

Chat just basked in her enthusiasm and watched her rapturously. His heart felt like he was simultaneously falling and soaring. Excitement and elation warred within him as Ladybug gestured wildly.

"I think a big map of Paris could go right here," she gestured towards the bare wall. "Have you ever seen those detective shows where they put pins into maps to look for patterns. We could do that for akumas! Maybe there'll be a pattern that could help us catch Hawkmoth!"

Ladybug continued to ruminate excitedly on catching Hawkmoth, but all Chat could think of was snuggling up in a beanbag with her and watching movies together.

Not that having a secret base wasn't exciting either, but it was the thought of having a secret base _with her_ that kept him thrilled.

"Yeah, add whatever you want," encouraged Chat. "It's _our_ base, after all."

"Our Miracu-house?" Ladybug smirked. "Honestly mon minou, that one is bad even for you."

Chat just continued to smile, trying to hide the delighted shiver that went down his spine whenever she called him that.

"Well we could call it the Bug-bed," he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

"No!" she protested, her face turning red. "That gives completely the wrong impression!"

"What's wrong with Miracu-house? We both have Miraculous's and it's our place, ergo the Miracu-house!"

"You are such a dork."

"Does it bug you?"

"Chat."

"Am I being insect-itive to your needs?"

"Why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm a-meow-zing! A paw-sitively purr-fect cat-panion!"

Ladybug shook her head, holding back her laugh.

"Chaton, this place is amazing. I'm-I'm so happy that you did this. But don't push yourself so much."

She held his hand with both of hers, squeezing his firmly. Chat had to force himself to breathe.

"You looked so exhausted. You need to take better care of yourself, understand?"

"R-right, my lady. But you know us cats, we love snooping about at night. You could say it's our purr-suasion."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, even as her face lit up with understanding.

"Is this a Miraculous thing for you, Chaton? Staying up late? Do you get sleepy during the day?"

"Sometimes. I hadn't thought of that," he admitted. "But that would explain it. Although my kwami always loves to sleep."

She smiled a blinding smile.

"I only just found out that I'm more sensitive to the cold," she admitted. "So, this place is great Chat, particularly the heater. Where did you even get this stuff?"

"Oh, just shops. I do have some spare time and used cash so no-one would know that I purchased it."

Ladybug's face froze.

"You bought all this just for this room?!"

"Err…"

Ladybug let go of his hand and shook her head.

"You really are a rich kitty, aren't you?" she muttered. "Between this and the cinema…"

"Ladybug?"

"Don't worry. Just go home, minou, and get some rest. You've earned it."

A part of Chat didn't want to leave, but the prospect of sleep was too strong to resist. He gave Ladybug a smile and opened the window.

"Don't forget to shut the window when you leave," he reminded her.

"I will. Get some rest!" she called after him as he leapt through the open window and towards his home.

"Spots off," Ladybug groaned, sinking into a nearby beanbag chair as her transformation dissolved around her.

Tikki was released from the earring with a sudden red flash and flew up overhead.

"Chat Noir's been very thoughtful lately," Tikki remarked, examining the room. "This place looks incredible! An actual base of operations could come in handy."

"I know," Marinette said excitedly. "We've even got a whole warehouse underneath us to mess around with! I've had a couple of ideas about how to track Hawkmoth down and now with somewhere like this I can actually write down my thoughts without worrying my parents will stumble on it."

"So like a diary?"

"No, that's for like personal every-day stuff!" Marinette replied, red-faced. "And there's no way I'm keeping a diary somewhere Chat can get anywhere near. This could be for like observations! Cool spy-stuff like folders and documents and a big map of Paris on the wall here! Then we could have coloured pins for each akuma location and…"

Marinette continued to ramble as Tikki shook her head. Having such an imaginative Chosen was always a boon, a Ladybug needed to be at least a little bit creative. However, the downside was that it was also easy for them to get side-tracked.

"What if someone finds it though, Marinette?" Tikki countered. "What if an akuma finds this place?"

Marinette hesitated.

"I mean, it's not like anything massively important will be here," she responded. "I'm not going to write my name on anything. I've still got to hide my identity from Chat."

Tikki nodded, pleased her chosen was thinking.

"Good, and I've got something that both of you need to work on," Tikki said, flying towards the hatch and gesturing for Marinette to open it.

The two gazed down at the empty warehouse. Tikki hummed and hmmed, floating about as she surveyed the place.

"It's perfect!" she trilled. "A nice big private space for you two to practice!"

"P-practice?" Marinette echoed. "Practice what?"

Tikki smiled, a smile that seemed a little bit less friendly than Marinette was used to.

"I think it's time you two found out exactly what you're capable of."

"Capable of?"

"Remember how you had trouble controlling your strength?" Tikki reminded Marinette. "Or your speed and endurance? Well with a handy space to practice you'll find these things much easier."

Marinette balked at the idea of more work.

"But-,"

"And the sooner you have a better control over yourself, the sooner you'll be able to prove Chloe wrong and impress Adrien."

Marinette shut her mouth and nodded.

"Excellent!" Tikki chirped. "No more late-night sneaking about to use your school grounds. You two will get a chance to practice together as well as get a better understanding of how your powers work in and out of costume and in relation to each other."

"In relation to each other?" Marinette dared to ask.

"Destruction and Creation are linked to one another," Tikki lectured. "And they both express themselves in different ways."

"Like Chat enjoying being stroked?"

"Exactly. They also support one another and naturally enjoy doing so. Don't you think it's weird that you liked petting him so much?"

Marinette went red.

"I-I-," she spluttered. "Th-that's just because he needed it! I don't go out giving pets to just every boy!"

"Good. But is there anyone else you could imagine petting like you pet Chat?"

Marinette's mind immediately went to Adrien. The thought of running her hands through his soft, golden hair with his head lying in her lap. His perfect emerald-green eyes lidded with happiness as he stared deeply into hers. Her leaning ever closer as his kissable lips…

"Marinette, you're drooling," Tikki admonished.

Marinette started and quickly shook herself away from that fantasy. She wiped her mouth surreptitiously, before folding her arms.

"Maybe one…" she answered evasively.

"But would you actually do it?"

Tikki could practically see the steam erupt out of Marinette's ears.

"NO! NO-NO-NO!" she squealed, her hands over her face. "It's just way too intimate!"

"But not too intimate for Chat?" Tikki questioned. "It's part of your connection with your partner. A connection that will only grow in time."

"Wait, so me and Chat are connected? Like magically?"

"Yes, the magic comes from your relationship with each other. The stronger your bond, the more powerful the connection. In time, you two will be able to accomplish incredible feats and together you'll be unstoppable."

"So you want us to practice?"

"Learn each other's strengths and weaknesses," Tikki advised. "Your powers will express themselves differently to his."

"He does seem to have a lot of cat-like side-effects," Marinette noted, counting on her fingers. "He likes being pet, he likes to eat fish, he even seems to prefer sleeping during the day!"

"So do you," Tikki noted with a giggle.

Marinette blushed.

"Yeah, well that's all me. But because of the Miraculous I want to eat flowers and become weak in the cold."

"You become sleepy in the cold," Tikki corrected. "Being in too low temperatures will tire you out faster than Chat Noir – your strength will stay the same."

"I'll just have to stay active!" Marinette said brightly. "Keep the blood pumping!"

"Exactly, Marinette! It's important you both grow into your powers together. This way you'll each know what the other is capable of – that'll help with your teamwork and your connection."

"Does this connection come with any more powers?" Marinette asked eagerly. "Or is it just more side-effects?"

"A little bit of both," Tikki admitted. "You'll grow to understand them in time. I'll come up with some suggestions for you and Chat Noir to try next time you're both here."

The kwami smiled at Marinette.

"Until then, let's find out what you can do as Marinette. Are you ready?"

Marinette clenched her fists and smiled. She was ready! By the time school started once more, she wouldn't have to worry about holding back.

Chloe would eat her words!

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think in the reviews! Hopefully should be able to update Keep on Rising next for those who are interested!**


	9. Chapter 9: Fun at the Water Park

**A/N: Enjoy this latest chapter!  
**

* * *

 **Fun at the Water Park**

"Aw, my precious little baby Marinette!" Alya wailed dramatically, wrapping her friend in a massive hug. "I'm such a bad influence on you, I'm sorry!"

"Alya, I'm not that much younger than you," Marinette protested, carefully trying to extract herself from her best friend's death grip. "Lemme go!"

The shopping bags in her hands made this a little more difficult than it needed to be. Of course, she hadn't expected to run into Alya in the park near her house.

"You're thirteen still!" Alya responded, relinquishing her grip and smooshing Marinette's cheeks together. "You're so young and innocent. So full of hope for the future; not like us cynical older folk!"

"Again, less than a year, Alya," she replied, removing Alya's hands from her cheeks.

"But you're the baby of the class! Everyone is fourteen at least, except you. Were you moved up a grade?"

"Yeah…" Marinette answered, avoiding her friend's eyes. "You don't have to remind me."

"Aw girl, you know I don't mean anything by it," Alya smiled, giving Marinette a hug. "We just need to give you a big party and invite everyone when it's your birthday."

Marinette winced.

"Who would come to my birthday party?" she asked. "I haven't had one since I was eleven anyway."

"WHAT?!" Alya screeched.

It was so loud that birds flew away from the tree they were walking by.

"You haven't had a birthday party since you were eleven?!" Alya repeated, eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah, not a proper one. After no-one came to my party I decided not to bother anymore," she admitted, looking at the floor. "I made cards and party bags and-,"

She cut herself off.

"I really don't want to talk about it…"

Alya grabbed Marinette by her shoulders.

"Marinette, you are the sweetest, kindest, most gentle person in this class! How is it possible no-one came to your birthday party?"

At that Marinette came alive, her eyes alight with a familiar fury.

"Take a guess," she growled. "It begins with C and rhymes with pee."

"Wow, she really has it out for you, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Marinette agreed, shifting her grip on her shopping bags. "I could probably write you a book."

Alya put a closed hand on her chin.

"Well, now I have a new goal, Marinette!" she pointed dramatically. "I promise you that by the time of your next birthday party, everyone in our class will want to come, except for Chloe."

Marinette raised an eyebrow.

"That seems kind of… well… impossible, even for you."

"I see you're underestimating me," Alya smirked. "Many have made that mistake before. Don't worry, Marinette."

Alya threw an arm around her shoulder.

"By the time of your next birthday, you'll be the most popular girl in class. You've just got to let everyone see the real you!"

"How will that ever happen?" Marinette sighed. "Most people in the class have known me for years; they're clearly not interested in the real me."

"Aw… girl…" Alya tilted Marinette's chin up. "You've just got to put yourself out there! No one who knows you like I do could possibly hate you."

"They don't have to hate me, they just have to not care," Marinette muttered, before brightening up. "But that doesn't matter. I've already got the greatest friend I could ask for!"

"Aw Mari, you're making me blush! And I think you're challenging me for the title of 'greatest friend'. I mean, you put up with all my rants about Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Marinette smiled warmly in the embrace of her best friend. As much as she worried about Alya finding out her identity it was flattering to hear her gushing about her alter-ego. Almost everybody loved Ladybug and even still it was so strange and overwhelming to think that she was so beloved.

"-I just wish I could have gotten footage of that fight a few months ago," Alya continued, making Marinette blink.

"Wait, what? What fight?"

Alya held Marinette at arm's length, hands still around her shoulders.

"Didn't you hear? It was on the news this morning! Apparently, someone found some old security camera footage at the school from a few months ago," she exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "And you'll never guess what the footage was of!"

Marinette went white. There were cameras in the school? Had they caught her transforming?! How had she never noticed?

If Alya noticed Marinette grow stiff in her arms she didn't say anything.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting each other!" Alya said with childlike delight. "Like completely going at it! Ladybug was kicking his ass! I never knew she got controlled by an akuma. You know, I had always wondered who would win in a fight and I was right! Take that Kim, what do you know-"

Alya's voice warped and twisted in Marinette's ears. Her head began to spin as the greenery bled away until she was Ladybug inside an old dusty room full of matted colours, sitting triumphantly on top of broken and bruised Chat Noir, her trusted yo-yo tight in her grip, the string wrapped tight around his neck. Ladybug could see the green light fading in his eyes as she pulled tighter and tighter, harder and harder. She was doing it, he couldn't beat her, she was too strong. She felt so happy as the voice in her mind praised her endlessly, promised her everything, how she would make the man so happy if she just got rid of Chat. Oh, and she wanted to, she wanted to make the man happy, nothing else mattered, just getting rid of Chat, of her partner-

"Marinette!" Chat choked out.

No wait, that wasn't-

"Marinette!"

With the suddenness of an engine backfiring, she was suddenly back in the park. Alya had her hands on her shoulders, a look of worry on her face.

"Are you alright? You look pale."

Marinette opened her mouth to reply, only to realise she was out of breath. She forcibly took in a deep breath.

"I'm-I'm fine," she choked. "Just not feeling too good, must be something from lunch."

The lie slipped shamefully quickly from her lips. She might have felt guilty if the ghost of Chat's battered face hadn't hovered at the forefront of her mind.

"You look awful," Alya declared and it was then Marinette realised the girl was practically holding her up.

"Yeah, I'm just going to go home and get some rest," Marinette said, trying to muster a smile. "It's getting late, I'll sleep it off. Tell me all about it tomorrow, ok?"

Alya was still frowning.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?"

"It's literally over there, Alya. I'll make it."

"If you say so. But if you're not feeling up to school tomorrow, let me know?"

"You'll be the first person I tell!" Marinette promised.

Alya's eyes narrowed in suspicion, before she shrugged.

"Ok then. Anyway, don't forget what I said about your next birthday," she ordered. "I've got to go quickly buy a new swimsuit for tomorrow! Can you believe I've already outgrown my old one?"

"Ok, bye Alya!" Marinette waved stiffly as her friend walked out of sight.

Marinette could practically feel Tikki's concern leaking through her purse, but they were in public and the kwami was holding herself back for now.

It barely took a few minutes before she was back in her room, the trapdoor shutting behind her and her shopping bags thrown into the corner before Tikki was out in front of her, ready to talk.

Silence enveloped the room. Marinette sat down on her chaise, waiting for the lecture that she knew Tikki would give her.

Tikki smiled kindly at Marinette, before floating in front of her face.

"It is nothing to be ashamed of, Marinette," she spoke with a strange gentleness. "Every Ladybug has had fears."

"But it happened two months ago, Tikki!" Marinette protested. "I should be over it by now! Ah, I nearly lost it in front of Alya!"

She groaned, putting her head in her hands. Tikki silently marvelled at how young her chosen really was before pressing further.

"These things take time."

"It shouldn't take this much time!" Marinette argued. "I hate feeling like this!"

Tikki looked thoughtful.

"Let me teach you something," she decided, floating over to the floor. "Sit with me."

Perplexed, Marinette joined her kwami on the floor. She knelt down, folding her legs underneath her with her hands in her lap as Tikki watched expectantly.

"Now close your eyes and clear your mind."

Marinette obeyed, letting darkness envelop her vision.

"Focus on your breathing," Tikki murmured, her voice becoming softer, like a gentle breeze. "Breathe in for five seconds through your nose, then exhale for five seconds through your mouth."

Marinette did so, letting the air slowly enter and leave her body.

"Focus on what you are feeling right now: the feel of the floor underneath you, the warmth of the air around you."

As Marinette felt her breathing slowly even out, she became more acutely aware. The feel of the cold floor against her bare feet. The hot kiss of the sun on her back through the window. The hum of her computer that she'd left on before leaving. The ever so slight creaking of floorboards underneath her, as her parents strolled around below. The faint crackle of the TV downstairs. Outside, the distant ever-present roar of tires across tarmac. Little snippets of conversation flittering through her windows and into her ears like mayflies in the dark.

Marinette spent a few minutes just sitting there, simply feeling.

"Now, whenever you feel overwhelmed," Tikki spoke. "I want you to close your eyes, to breathe; and imagine you are back in your room, sitting in front of me like you are now."

Tikki watched as Marinette nodded, clearly feeling more at ease than before.

Eventually, Marinette would have to come to terms with certain truths about herself – but only when she was ready to hear them. Until then, this should help keep her calm.

Marinette felt Tikki land on her head, a bright ball of warmth amongst her hair. Tikki was always oddly warm to the touch - part of being a kwami Marinette assumed. She wondered if Chat's kwami was the same.

"Do you think it will happen again? That I might be forced to hurt Chat?"

"It is very possible," Tikki didn't believe in concealing painful truths and this was no exception. "But if you are cautious, then you can minimise those chances."

"Cautious?"

"Analyse a situation before you rush in. Look for potential escape routes, look for a chance to study the akumas powers before engaging if possible. Your brain is your most powerful weapon and the more you use it, the easier it will become."

"But there's so much to think about during a fight!"

"I know it is difficult," Tikki said soothingly. "But you've demonstrated an aptitude for it already – you have good instincts, Marinette. It takes many people a very long time to even be calm enough to think in a fight at all! You have so much responsibility on your shoulders. But I know you can do it, just know that no task is insurmountable for Ladybug."

"Yeah, for Ladybug…"

Tikki sighed. Perhaps Marinette was not yet ready for this conversation. Confidence and self-assurance would come with time. Marinette had already made remarkable progress compared to when Tikki had first met her. To push too far too quickly could invite disaster. Sometimes those chosen would need to find things in their own time.

"Get a good night's rest, Marinette," Tikki advised. "Tomorrow is a new day."

"You're right, Tikki," Marinette agreed, and began to prepare for bed.

A few minutes later, Marinette had changed into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth and laid down in her bed. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to drift closed as sleep began to claim her.

She sprung bolt upright.

"Wait, did Alya say we have swimming tomorrow?!"

X

* * *

X

Adrien wasn't nervous, of course not. It was ludicrous to think that he'd be in the slightest bit anxious over something like this. Sure, he had more or less asked for it – had even pleaded with his father to allow him to take part. Had argued past all the protests of 'chlorine would be bad for your skin' and 'what if there are photographers there' and even the old 'what if someone makes advances on you without your bodyguard there'.

But that's what they all surely were, excuses. He shouldn't be so nervous; it's not like his father was actually right to be as paranoid as he was. It was just some skin and he was a model. Granted a model that had never done anything more risqué than a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, but still! It wasn't like many people would see him – only the people in his class and maybe some members of the public.

Yet, despite all this, Adrien still felt nervous as the class entered the large building in which they would be swimming today. A well-known fitness centre, it had an Olympic sized swimming pool that the school had rented out for teaching. Of course, what the rest of the kids were more interested in was the water park the building also hosted.

"Urgh," Nino groaned as the class walked towards the changing rooms. "It's so annoying that we have to swim in the boring pool. Why can't we go in the water park when it's right there!?"

He gestured towards the much louder part of the building. Where people rode on large water slides inside big tubes and splashed into warm pools full of all sorts of other attractions. Adrien had never seen anything like it outside of his computer screen.

"Aren't they dangerous?" Adrien questioned, walking next to him. "I mean I heard there are rapids there."

"They're only dangerous if you're harmed by fun," Nino argued. "And the rapids are super cool! Not to mention all the slides and whirlpools and other rides. Yet here we are stuck in the boring part."

Before they could arrive at the changing rooms, the sounds of people arguing reached their ears. To Adrien's ever-dwindling surprise, it was Chloe and she was talking to a tall man in shorts wearing a whistle around his neck.

"You mean we don't get to go into the water park?!" she screeched. "Then why are we even here?!"

"You are here so you can learn how to swim properly, not to goof off," the man replied sternly. "Your school reserved one of our pools for this, so you had best appreciate it young lady, or I will let them know about your poor behaviour."

"How dare you!" Chloe gasped. "Your minimum wage ass cannot make me do anything; my daddy won't let you. Anyway, I'm on my period so you can't make me go swimming anyway!"

Adrien heard someone sigh in frustration in front of him.

"Prepare for her to be on her period every week…" he heard Marinette mutter to Alya.

Meanwhile the man was furious and red-faced.

"Fine!" he spat. "Go sit in the stands and watch your class."

He stomped away to try and calm down.

"Oh, don't worry, I will," Chloe said, turning and winking at Adrien.

She then levelled what he could only describe as a malicious smile at Marinette, who obviously stiffened in response. It was pretty clear to him that she was going to take this opportunity to humiliate the girl again.

Adrien tried to show his disapproval with a frown, but Chloe had already taken her phone out and was stalking away towards the stands with not even a backwards glance towards him.

"Come on, bro," Nino clapped him on the back. "Let's get changed."

The boys went into one room whilst the girls went into another. The changing rooms were large, full of benches and lockers to put their clothes.

He glanced surreptitiously around to see if there was any hidden etiquette he should follow. No one was using the private changing stalls, merely undressing where they were. The other boys were all talking and undressing as if nothing was wrong, no one even paying him a glance. Adrien even had to look away to make sure he didn't see more of Kim than he had ever wanted to see.

Steeling himself, Adrien pulled his shirt over his head and began changing. After finishing, he shoved his clothes into a locker, took a moment to make sure Plagg was still asleep and had his Miraculous tucked next to him along with some cheese. Then, clad only in his swimming trunks, he turned to face the others.

"What?" he asked, looking at Nino's stunned expression.

The boy shook his head.

"Adrien, I knew you were a model, but man I always thought you were pretty scrawny," he admitted. "You're really making me feel inadequate."

"Huh?" he blinked in confusion.

"Dude, you're shredded!"

Adrien glanced down at himself as if he had never seen his own body before. Before meeting Plagg and becoming Chat Noir, Nino's statement would have been true. He had always been rather wiry if not downright puny. Now however, he was comprised almost entirely of hard muscle.

He had well-defined abs with muscle covering his arms and legs. His shoulders were much broader than they used to be, and his chest was far larger as well. He looked like a world-class gymnast, with little traces of fat, a strong core and skin pulled tightly over lean muscle.

"Woah, Adrien! You look great!" Kim cheered, giving him a thumbs-up. "You must work out a lot, we should swap routines sometime!"

The athletic boy had a vague impression of a six-pack himself. It was impressive, but it was nothing compared to Adrien's physique.

"Indeed, I would never have guessed that he was hiding that sort of musculature," Max agreed. "You two should compare ab size later, for now let's not keep the girls waiting."

The boys left the room and Adrien followed after them, feeling a little embarrassed that his first real friendly interaction with his fellow classmates involved him being nearly naked.

"Hey, cheer up dude," Nino said. "Plenty of people would kill to look like you do. You have nothing to be ashamed about."

"It's just, I've never had so many people see me in just my trunks before," Adrien admitted. "At least not in person. And definitely no girls."

Nino snickered.

"You're pretty shy, huh? Believe me, you have nothing to worry about, the girls will _love_ you. You'll definitely impress them."

Adrien couldn't help his face flush at the thought. It wasn't that the girls in his class were unattractive, it was just that there was only one girl he wanted to impress, and it would probably take a little bit more than some muscle to accomplish that.

The pool was clear of other people with the instructor and the rest of the boys standing over by one end of the pool. Chloe was in the stands, fully dressed and on her phone. She looked up briefly and must have caught sight of him, as she held up her phone.

Adrien looked away bashfully, hoping Chloe wouldn't post those pictures of him anywhere publicly. The boys were all standing together as the girls began trickling out of their changing rooms.

"Looking good, Alix!" Kim cheered, waving as the tiny girl walked up to them in a blue one-piece. "Still gyming it up I see."

Her one-piece didn't let her show off her torso, but her arms and legs were on full display and she certainly had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Thanks, muscle-head," she responded, grinning at him. "I see you haven't slacked off either."

"Well, if I did then you might actually beat me one of these days."

"According to my records," Max piped up. "Alix is only one challenge victory behind you, Kim. It's best not to get sloppy."

"Yeah, four-eyes ain't wrong," she said good-naturedly, before turning to Max. "I keep forgetting what you look like without your glasses."

"In this instance, you might need to think of a new nickname," Max responded smugly.

"Nah, you're still four-eyes; it's in your very soul."

At that point, Alix caught sight of Adrien and her eyes widened comically.

"Holy- Agreste, I see you've been hiding things from us!"

Adrien balked under the attention as everyone looked at him.

"Er, yeah… I work out?" he squeaked, making Alix smirk.

"Damn right you do!" Alix replied, slugging him on arm. "Damn, you're like made of iron."

"Hey, I'm pretty tough too," Kim protested.

"Maybe you should start challenging Agreste as well," Alix suggested. "Then you could prove it."

"Fine, Agreste, I bet I can swim more laps than you today!"

"Umm… Ok?" Adrien responded, feeling a little isolated. "Why though?"

He had never really interacted much with Kim and his friends before. Before Kim could answer his question, two more girls left the changing rooms.

"Hey everyone!" Rose cheered, wearing a pink one-piece.

"Yo," Juleka spoke, wearing a dark purple swimsuit and swim cap.

"Hey, you two, come look at Agreste!" Alix grinned.

"Wow, Adrien! You must eat really healthily!"

"I think he would look cooler if he had some scars," Juleka commented.

Adrien did not think he would look cooler with scars. His Father most certainly would not think that he'd look cooler with scars and might possibly never let him leave his room for the rest of his life.

"No pleasing some people," Alix shrugged as Adrien awkwardly thanked the two girls.

"Don't mention it," Juleka drawled. "If scars aren't your thing, you could always get some tats."

"Tats?" Adrien blinked cluelessly.

"You poor boy…"

"Juleka!" Rose giggled.

"Hi, Ivan," Mylene said shyly, looking up at her boyfriend as she stood abashed in her light blue swimsuit and swim cap.

"Hey Mylene," he responded equally shyly, before holding out his hand.

With a smile, Mylene put her hand in his and grinned lovingly up at him. Adrien smiled and looked away, silently wishing Ladybug would look at him like that.

"Sorry everyone," Alya finally appeared, wearing a pale orange swimsuit and swim cap. "Marinette's being a bit shy. She'll be out soon."

Alix groaned.

"I hope so, I want to get this over with."

"Why is Marinette taking so long?" Rose asked innocently.

"I think we all know why," Juleka folder her arms, her eyes flickering towards Chloe. "Chloe's been impossible lately."

"Has it really been that bad?" Nathaniel asked, making Adrien blink as he hadn't noticed the boy until now.

"Marinette won't even come out of the changing booths," Alix rolled her eyes. "Probably afraid of Chloe's little minion taking indecent pictures of her."

"That's true, I've already caught her skulking about," Alya admitted, before catching sight of Adrien and gaping. "Oh no, Marinette's gonna pass out."

Adrien couldn't help but wince either. Marinette wasn't exactly the most composed of people. If Chloe took pictures and posted them everywhere making fun of her than it would be disastrous. The poor girl didn't deserve that; she was so sweet and kind.

"Oh well," Alix shrugged. "Maybe it'll inspire her to actually take care of herself for a change."

Alya frowned.

"Marinette takes care of herself just fine," she spoke loyally.

"Oh please, we've all seen the cookies she keeps in her purse," Alix snapped back.

"We should be supportive," Ivan's deep voice spoke.

Mylene also nodded.

"Just because Marinette is a little bit… bigger than average doesn't mean that she deserves to be bullied for it," she piped up strongly.

"Nice sentiment, are you willing to stand up to Chloe for it?" Max asked.

No one spoke up at that.

Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but at that point Sabrina came running out in her cyan swimsuit. She looked pale and her eyes were wide.

"No running!" the instructor yelled.

"Sorry," Sabrina apologised, before running up to Chloe, who was smirking viciously.

"Did you get pictures of Mari-fat?" she asked her.

"N-not exactly," Sabrina answered nervously. "Ch-Chloe you're really not going to like it."

"What?" she asked impatiently. "Has she gained even more weight?"

"Erm…"

The soft pitter-patter of bare feet on the ground behind them drew the classes attention.

"Um, sorry I took so long?" a soft voice spoke up.

Adrien turned to see Marinette and his brain stopped.

"I just got a bit shy, don't worry."

Had it not been Marinette's voice coming from Marinette's face underneath an adorable red swimming cap, he would never have guessed it was her. She had always worn somewhat baggy clothes that hid her full physique. He had never seen her arms and legs exposed before.

Adrien tried to swallow only to realise his throat was bone dry and looking around he wasn't the only one. All the boys were gaping incredulously and most of the girls had lost their voices as well.

Well, most.

"Holy crap girl, you're ripped!" Alya shrieked.

Marinette looked a little flustered at the attention, but there was no hiding the considerable muscle she was packing. Her whole frame screamed strength, with serious defined muscles on her arms and legs. Adrien couldn't see it, but he would have bet every bit of his father's money that she had a six pack underneath her red swimsuit.

It was a strange sensation that consumed him. Like a fire it drew his breath from his body, his blood drained from his head and seemed to settle as an intense heat below his stomach. He couldn't take his eyes off her, trying desperately to burn the image of Marinette posing sweetly in that red swimsuit into his brain forever.

Behind them, Chloe looked like she had simultaneously eaten something way too spicy and sucked on a lemon. Her face was red, and her lips pursed so hard they were near invisible.

Not that Adrien noticed - that would have involved looking away.

"Now I really feel inadequate," Nino muttered besides him, though he didn't look away either.

"M-Marinette! W-what happened?" Alya was stunned, looking her best friend up and down. "I was gone for like a minute!"

"Did you do drugs over the break?" Alix demanded.

"What? No!"

"Have you been Akumatized?!" Kim asked.

"Wh-what? Why would you think that?!"

"You must have worked out so much!" Rose cheered. "I'm so proud of you, it must have been super hard."

"Err, thanks Rose."

"Y-yeah, well done, Marinette," Nathaniel piped up. "You-you look great."

Marinette smiled warmly at the boy, her face bright red from all the praise.

"Thank you, Nathaniel"

"Alright!" the instructor barked before anyone else could say anything. "Now everyone's finally here we can start the actual lesson."

At his voice everyone was shocked out of their trance and turned towards him.

"Now you should all know the rules of this pool," he began. "No running! No diving other than off diving boards. No pushing each other! No dive-bombing, no shouting or pushing each other under the water. Follow these rules and the pool will be a safer place for everyone. Now line up in groups behind the diving boards."

It was as if another power had taken control of Adrien as he sidled up behind Marinette as everyone began to form lines. The class had split into lines behind each diving board and Alya, Marinette, Adrien and Nino had ended up with their own little line.

"Dude," Nino whispered, nudging Adrien's side. "Stop staring at her."

"You first," he responded.

"R-right."

Adrien shook his head, trying in vain to clear his thoughts, but it was like Marinette had some ethereal grasp on his brain. Even when he wasn't looking at her, he felt somehow very aware of her presence. He couldn't believe that he had ever thought of her as overweight – in fact she seemed so obviously muscular now that the idea of anyone thinking otherwise was laughable. Yet he had, they all had…

Was it an akuma? Had Marinette become akumatized due to the fear of Chloe?

For a moment he seriously considered it, before shaking his head.

'Akumas never answer to their own names,' he remembered, more than a little bit relieved he wasn't going to have to fight his classmate. 'I'm just being paranoid. I still can't believe it though – how did I never notice how she looked before?'

"Hey Adrien," Alya piped up suddenly, making him straighten in fear.

Had she noticed him staring? She had a knowing gleam in her eyes as she smoothly moved behind him.

"I need to adjust my swimming cap, why don't you go after Marinette?"

"W-what?!" he moaned.

"What?!" Marinette squeaked, turning to look at him.

Her eyes immediately darted downwards to his chest before returning to his face. She looked utterly adorable, her eyes staring at him open-wide like that, her mouth gaping. Wow, Marinette had really pretty lips…

She squeaked.

"I mean, I-don't-mind-you-coming-after-me!" she babbled, face as red as her swimsuit. "I MEAN, NOT-LIKE-THAT, just you can swim on my behind, BEHIND-ME-NOT-ON-ME! I mean you can come on me-I-MEAN-NO-ERDJABPLFFF!"

Her eyes darted behind him where Alya was making some insistent gestures. She took a deep breath.

"I… don't… mind…" she spelled, eyes darting behind him to Alya's signals. "You… swimming… after… me!"

She grinned widely.

"That's cool, Marinette, thank you," he said sincerely. "What was that other stuff?"

"Nothing! HA-HA-HA!" she laughed, though it sounded more like screaming.

Adrien discarded it. Marinette was probably just a little bit nervous from all the attention. He was still getting used to it after all. At least she hadn't caught him staring; that would have been embarrassing and might have even ended whatever tenuous friendship they had.

Marinette clambered onto the dive board, lining up against Kim, Alix and Ivan. At the instructors signal she dived into the water and easily began outpacing the others. Adrien let himself relax a bit, before stepping onto the diving board himself.

The cold water seemed to wash away whatever grasp Marinette's body had on his mind. It soothed and cooled him to the point Adrien swore steam seeped off him. He swam perfectly to the other end, outpacing the others to touch the other side.

At least now they could focus on the swimming lesson.

X

* * *

X

This was the best day of Marinette's rather barren love life. Sure, she had utterly failed to even talk to Adrien like a normal person, but Alya had sworn to her that Adrien had been checking her out.

Him and half the class as well.

She had nearly had a panic attack in the changing room when she realised there would be no hiding her formidable physique from her classmates. Alya's attempts to calm her down had come from the right place but weren't exactly the most helpful. Ironically, it wasn't until Sabrina took pictures of her over the private changing room door she had taken shelter in that Marinette realised she had to just roll with it.

The look on Chloe's face when she left the changing room was a memory Marinette would cherish forever. She felt like she was walking on sunshine itself, flying so high that nothing could touch her. Finally, finally she didn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't, she didn't have to hide herself from her classmates. No one suspected her of being Ladybug, and she could finally make Chloe eat every single one of those nasty words that she had spread across the school last term.

And best of all, Adrien was talking to her!

Marinette climbed out of the pool, unable to keep the smile off her face as she basked in yet another victory over her classmates at swimming. She had left them all eating her metaphorical dust, even Adrien!

Mmmm, Adrien…

It took everything she had not to stare at his bare muscular chest. It just wasn't fair that in addition to being the nicest person on the planet, that he also had a physique resembling Michelangelo's David. And the way the water ran down his chest, trickling over his golden skin…

"Damn, nice technique, Mari," Alix complimented her, giving her arm a friendly punch and bringing her back to reality. "I don't know what routine you used to get muscles like that, but I want in!"

"Oh, er… well it's pretty intense," Marinette said honestly.

There was a splash of water by them as Kim pulled himself out of the pool and shook his hair like a dog.

"Ew, gross!" Alix laughed, covering her face.

"You just can't handle how much of a beast I am!" Kim joked, posing and flexing his biceps.

The girls laughed at that and Marinette dared to smile.

"But seriously, Mari, why'd you hide these?" Kim asked, gesturing to her biceps. "There's no way you could have gotten arms like that in less than a month."

Marinette flushed.

"I just…" she searched desperately for an appropriate lie.

"Oh please, I can't believe anyone is impressed with man-arms over there!" shrieked a familiar voice.

'And there it is,' Marinette thought to herself.

Surprisingly, it wasn't her that Chloe was yelling at, but the instructor.

"Look," the man said, clearly trying to reign in his temper. "She scored the quickest time of anyone here, so that is what's going in my report. I'm not going to lie."

"She doesn't deserve it!" Chloe screeched. "She cheated, she always cheats!"

"What right does she have to say that?" Marinette muttered, unable to keep the curl of distaste out of her voice. "It's not like she's ever tried."

Beside Marinette, Alix huffed in agreement.

"How pathetic," she muttered. "All that talent and she wastes it without even trying. She could be top of the class if she put in the effort."

"Give it a year," Max declared, walking up to them. "And she probably won't even be in the top three in the class."

"Oh well, her loss," Kim spoke, folding his massive arms behind his head.

"I will have you fired, you peasant!" Chloe continued, already taking out her phone. "Just wait until I tell daddy!"

"Your daddy isn't in charge here, I am!" the instructor responded, a vein bulging dangerously in his forehead. "This is my pool and if you don't obey the rules I will have you thrown out."

"How dare you speak to me like that! My daddy will make sure you never work in this city again!"

Chloe stomped off as the instructor visibly had to calm down.

"Lesson's over, you're all dismissed."

The instructor stomped away, leaving the rest of the class staring awkwardly at his retreating form. Alya, who was still in the pool, rested her elbows on the side.

"Well looks like we all have an extra fifteen minutes before the lesson is supposed to end!" she grinned. "I suggest we use it."

"Are you sure that's allowed?" Adrien questioned, only for Nino to put an arm around him.

"Don't worry about it, man! Now that we have some time – we can go to the fun part!" he gestured towards the water park.

The entire class lit up at the sight. There were no barriers between them and the actual water park – they could go in and actually have fun!

The class surged towards the water-park, with those still in the pool hastily trying to get out. Marinette helped Alya out, before they also followed everyone there.

"Did you see Adrien?" Alya asked slyly.

"O-of course I saw Adrien!" Marinette blushed brightly. "How couldn't I?"

"No, I mean did you see the way he looked at you?" Alya said. "He was totally checking you out again."

"No," she gasped, the very thought sent way too much blood to her head. "You must be seeing things!"

"Marinette, no one has been able to keep their eyes off you today," Alya smirked, grabbing one of Marinette's biceps. "I never knew you were hiding all this from us!"

"I just…" Marinette struggled for an excuse. "It's a bit embarrassing?"

"It certainly grabs attention. If you want to grab Agreste's attention, just wear some short sleeves one day," Alya winked. "See if you can get _him_ to trip up for once."

"Adrien likes muscular girls?" Marinette muttered to herself – it seemed almost too good to be true.

"Marinette, if his jaw had dropped any further, he'd have been able to swallow you whole," she then grinned. "He almost looked like he wanted to try."

"Alya!" Marinette felt like her head would explode if Alya kept talking like that.

She looked over towards where the boys were gathered. Adrien was with Nino and the two looked like they were about to get into the rapids. Marinette's eyes narrowed. She was going to do it. If he thought she was as attractive as Alya said, then what was the harm? She was Ladybug, the hero of Paris. No challenge was too great!

Gathering her courage, she began to march over towards Adrien.

'Hey Adrien, do you want to go out for some coffee?' Marinette repeated in her head. 'That's all I have to say. Nothing else. Then we'll see what he says. Then we'll go from there…'

She walked calmly towards Adrien, her heart beating wildly as she came close enough to reach out and touch him. Was she sweating? She felt like she was sweating.

"Oh, hey Marinette," Adrien smiled perfectly at her. "What's up?"

This was it. She breathed in heavily, reciting her mantra in her mind, heroically resisting the blink panic that threatened to swallow her up.

"Hey Adrien, do you-,"

The ground shook and they nearly lost their balance. A deep booming laughter filled the air as the concrete beneath them split open and massive brightly coloured tubes shot into the sky.

People began to scream as more and more erupted from under the ground, twisting into intricate patterns and connecting with one another.

"What is that?!" Adrien cried out.

"It's a giant water slide!" Marinette realised, staring up at the sky in horror as a large figure became clear.

He was wearing what seemed like an unholy cross between a lifeguard's outfit and a black business suit and grinned down at them menacingly.

"Fear me, Paris! I am Le Suaveteur! And I declare the Paris Water Park, open for business forever!"

He raised his arms and the ground shook even harder. More and more rides burst forth out of the ground, uncaring of the people trapped inside.

Adrien and Marinette ran towards the changing rooms, desperately trying to reach their Miraculous and kwamis hidden in their lockers, only for the ground to split open between them.

"Marinette!" he cried out in alarm, watching as she was lifted high up into the sky.

Water rushed over her as she struggled to gain her bearings. She could feel herself being raised into the sky as the tube, that she just realised was part of a large water slide, connected with another.

Marinette immediately began to slide down. She had to get out of here, find Tikki and rescue everyone!

The tube seemed to fall down nearly vertically as Marinette built up speed. She grit her teeth as the tube went one way and then another, the sheer forces pushing her back into the walls. Precious minutes went by before she was blinded by a sudden light and was dumped out the other end.

She landed in a massive pool with the force of a cannonball and quickly tried to gain her bearings. It was incredibly warm, she noticed. What should have been the middle of winter now felt like one of the hottest days of Paris' summer. The sun hung unnaturally high in the sky, with no clouds in sight to hide its full majesty.

Marinette quickly swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. There were numerous other people in the pool as well and barely any of them were wearing anything approaching swimwear.

Where was she? The surroundings were almost completely unrecognisable. Water flowed in massive rivers curling around buildings and through the sky. Massive water park rides dwarfed even the Eiffel Tower, standing menacingly against the horizon, like dark giants coldly stooping over their servants.

This was really bad. She didn't have her Miraculous or Tikki with her. She'd need to go back towards the water park, which seemed to be where the largest ride was located.

"This is one powerful akuma," Marinette realised, looking around. "All of Paris has been turned into a water park!"

"Yeah, no kidding," wheezed a familiar voice.

"Nino!" Marinette ran towards the pool where the boy was holding onto the side like his life depended upon it.

She grabbed his arms and pulled him out. He coughed and spluttered a bit, before giving her grateful thanks.

"Are you alright?" she asked, helping him to his feet.

"I've been swimming for ages," Nino gasped, pointing over towards the pool. "Some tube dumped me in the middle of this giant whirlpool. I nearly got pulled under."

"I'm glad you're safe," Marinette replied. "Where's everyone else? Where's Adrien?"

"I don't know. I was knocked into the water and next thing I knew I was swimming for my life," Nino looked back at the pool. "I hope the others made it."

"I'm sure they did," Marinette said resolutely, refusing to believe otherwise.

She was Ladybug, she needed to be strong for Nino.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir will clear up this mess soon," Nino spoke, getting some breath back. "There's no way they didn't notice this."

"That's true," she smiled, before gazing back.

That tube had taken them some distance. It would take some time to get back to the pool where her Miraculous and Tikki were. Even now she could see people appearing out of the countless tubes and falling into the pool. Many were fully dressed, clearly not suited to go swimming, and were frantically paddling towards the edges of the pool. This must be happening all over the city!

Chat Noir would without a doubt have noticed all this happening and was probably already there. He would need her help! She began to walk towards the largest ride, where a huge banner displayed the words 'Paris Water Park is Open for Business!'.

"Marinette, where are you going?!" Nino called out.

"I need to get back there, err… I need to make sure everyone else is alright!"

"Are you crazy?!" Nino yelled after her. "I'm going home! Let the superheroes sort it out!"

'That's what I'm doing!' Marinette thought irritably.

"Good for you," she replied.

"Hey, wait," Nino ran after her, nearly slipping on the wet ground. "You can't just run back. You'll be a hostage, you'll just get in Ladybug and Chat Noir's way!"

He darted ahead of her.

"Nino, I need to get back there," Marinette said, annoyed.

"You'll just get yourself hurt," he responded resolutely. "Let's just… go to my place and relax. We haven't hung out in ages, Mari. Let's do that."

Marinette's face became stone.

"Years Nino," she responded, clenching her fists. "We haven't hung out in years – since I was ten."

Nino winced.

"Yeah, but you still can't go."

"Not your decision," Marinette passed him, knocking his shoulder aside with her own.

"Hey look, I just want you to be safe," he argued, before putting his hands on his hips. "If I have to pick you up and carry you I will."

"Just go home, Nino, this will all be over soon," she turned away from him. "I don't have time to deal with you."

Nino followed after her.

"Hey Mari, wait! Look I'll come with you alright?"

Marinette suddenly stopped. Nino's face lit up at her acquiescence.

"You're-,"

She shoved her hand over his mouth and plummeted into the water with him. Nino couldn't resist at all as she pulled their heads above water and to the side of the pool, keeping their heads under the rim of the pool and hidden.

"Shhhh," she ordered quietly.

Nino had no time to contemplate before the steady thud of two feet landing boomed overhead.

"It looks like someone was breaking pool rules!" the akuma's voice screeched.

The people who were still in the pool started screaming as those on the sides began to run. Nino tried to move, to swim away, but Marinette's arms were like steel bars keeping his arms trapped by his sides. What was wrong with her? The akuma was literally standing right above them! If he walked two steps forward and looked down he'd see them!

"What did I just say?" Le Suaveteur muttered, before pulling out his whistle. "NO RUNNING!"

It wasn't so much a noise as a force. The water vibrated around them as Marinette and Nino did their best to stay above water. Marinette had her eyes open and could see the enlarging energy rings that enveloped everyone else in the pool. She watched, unable to look away, as their clothes melted away to reveal identical dark blue swimsuits, any semblance of individuality, of personality, vanished immediately as they all turned a blank stare towards their new master.

"Now that you're all in a more agreeable mood," the akuma began, smiling warmly. "I need some new employees to manage the Park. Patrol the place and punish any rulebreakers, got that?"

A purple butterfly appeared over the man's face, making him shake for a second.

"Of course, boss. And if you see any sign of Ladybug and Chat Noir? Do let me know!"

They all saluted.

"Excellent!" the akuma grinned, before standing up straight. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some more rulebreakers to recruit."

The akuma leapt up into the air, easily clearing buildings, before vanishing out of sight.

Marinette relaxed, letting Nino go, who slumped against the side of the pool, his face paralysed with fear.

"That was close," Marinette breathed, trying to keep the tremors out of her voice.

Why, why did it have to be a mind-control akuma?

"Marinette," Nino whined. "They can see us."

Marinette gave a glance towards the akuma's minions. Unlike the akuma himself, they had had the two of them within perfect line of sight the whole time. Yet they hadn't made any move to attack them or reveal their presence to their boss.

"It's because we haven't broken any rules yet," Marinette realised. "The akuma told them to go after rulebreakers. To them we're just people using the pool as it's intended."

Sure enough, most of the minions were calmly getting out of the pool and leaving, not paying them even a second glance.

"Oh man," Nino breathed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "What were the rules? Do you remember? What if we break one accidentally?"

"I don't," Marinette admitted. "At least 'No Running' is obvious."

It was a mixed bag, a part of her analysed. If she didn't run then the minions wouldn't bother her, but it would take ages to get back to where her Miraculous and Tikki were. But if she did run…

Marinette caught the sight of one of the 'lifeguards', a teenager no older than her. He stared blankly at the two of them, no hint of the person, the individual, he had been a mere minute before.

She shuddered.

She couldn't fall apart now. This was no different than any other akuma; just avoid its attacks and get to her goal. So what if she didn't have her Miraculous? She wasn't scared!

Marinette carefully climbed out of the pool, ignoring her trembling hands. That teenager was the only one still here, having apparently taken this pool as his guard post, and made no move to stop her.

"Marinette, where are you going?" Nino asked, incredulous he pulled himself out of the pool.

"Don't run," Marinette commanded, eyeing the lifeguard out of the corner of her eye.

Nino paused, shaking a little, before walking stiffly towards her.

"You're not seriously still going up there?"

"I have to. Go home, Nino. I can deal with this."

"Are you hearing yourself right now?" Nino asked. "I could feel you shaking when that akuma was above us. You saw what he could do. There's no way we'll do anything but get in the way."

"I was not scared," Marinette growled.

She was Ladybug, she had beaten akuma before breakfast, one little akuma wasn't going to scare her. It wasn't…

"There's nothing wrong with being scared, Mari."

Marinette took a deep breath.

"I can't just sit here when my friends might be in danger. Either come with me or go home and wait for Ladybug to sort everything out."

Marinette walked off and Nino, reluctantly trailed after her.

"Look, I don't agree with this," he explained. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I certainly won't do anything _'_ stupid'," Marinette answered, gathering her courage. "As long as you promise to do the same."

"The same-!" Nino began to shout, before her hand clamped around his mouth.

"Don't shout," she hissed. "That was one of the rules – remember at the beginning of the swimming lesson?"

She looked towards the lifeguard and Nino's eyes followed hers. The lifeguard was staring at them, his hand holding something hanging from his neck – a whistle.

"I think they can summon him," Marinette breathed, slowly pulling her hand away from Nino's mouth. "With those whistles. If they see us break any of the rules, they'll draw him right here. In fact, I think something like that might be why that akuma came here just now. You were running, and maybe that attracted him somehow…"

She looked up to see Nino staring at her, mouth open.

"What is going on with you?" Nino wondered. "You're like a completely different person than before."

"Oh, well I'm just a little bit stressed right now," she excused with a forced smile, hoping that he wouldn't connect any dots to a certain superhero. "Let's get going, we have a long journey ahead of us."

Marinette stared up towards the top of the water park, a mountain of intermingling multi-colour tubes and flowing rivers stared back at her. She shivered at the dark sense of foreboding, before marching onwards regardless.

 **X**

* * *

 **X**

The ground shook and a chorus of people screaming awoke Tikki.

'Figures,' she thought idly, before floating outside of the little den that Marinette had made for her inside her gym bag.

Tikki phased through the locker walls into the empty changing rooms as the ground continued to shake.

'Oh, it'll be fine Tikki, it's just for an hour,' Tikki worriedly mocked her chosen in the privacy of her own mind. 'What are the chances Hawkmoth will attack in the hour my Miraculous are off?'

Well apparently,, not zero.

Tikki sighed. If it was anyone's fault it was hers. Unlike the thirteen-year-old Marinette, Tikki had no excuse for letting her charge take her earrings off, no matter how weird it would seem to people. The magic infused within the Miraculous would stop people from suspecting her identity either way.

'Please be alright, Marinette,' Tikki hoped in her mind.

Suddenly the whole building shifted and lurched onto its side. A massive red tube slammed through the wall and knocked it down, before it slithered up through the ceiling like a giant metal snake.

"This looks like a strong akuma," Tikki realised. "Oh, Marinette, get here soon!"

"Plagg!" a voice shouted.

Tikki instinctively ducked. The wall that the tube had brought down had exposed the boy's changing area in which the kwami could spy a familiar blond boy.

"Plagg, where are you?!" he cried out, trying to sort out the lockers that had been crushed and knocked into piles.

He was frantic, tears on his face as he threw battered lockers aside, screaming his kwami's name.

"Plagg, please!"

Tikki quickly laid out the pros and cons. Adrien was Chat Noir, not exactly shocking, but wow Marinette would freak when she found out.

If she found out.

Marinette shouldn't have been too far from Adrien, if she still wasn't here then it was likely that something was preventing her from returning.

The kwami quickly flew back to her locker to fetch her Miraculous, before shooting straight back towards the hysterical boy.

"Chat Noir!" she called out, floating in front of him.

He stared up at her, eyes frozen. Inwardly, a part of her wanted to chide him for responding to his alter ego's name out of costume, but clearly now was not the time.

"Y-you're…" he realised.

"I'm Tikki, Ladybug's kwami," she explained. "I need your help."

"I'm Adrien, i-is Ladybug hurt?" his face grew pale.

"We've been separated," Tikki explained. "I need you to help me find her."

"But, I-I can't find Plagg!" Adrien yelled. "What if he's hurt or in pain? I-I need him to become Chat Noir!"

Tikki gave him a motherly smile.

"Oh Adrien, Plagg is a kwami. Neither of us can die – or even be hurt - from something like this. He's just being lazy."

She smiled at the distraught boy kindly, before she floated over towards the smashed-up lockers and took a deep breath.

"PLAGG, YOU LAZY BUM! COME OUT THIS INSTANT! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Adrien blinked. The room was silent, but it was a different silence; the silence of someone who didn't want to come out and see what kind of trouble he was in.

"I know you can hear me, Plagg!"

One of the lockers doors creaked open slightly, and Adrien saw two tiny green eyes poke out.

"Err, hey Tikki…" Plagg said, looking anywhere but towards her. "… I was just finding my Miraculous. You know how it is – it's dark in there…"

"You can see in the dark," Tikki responded, unimpressed.

"Yeah well…," he searched for words, before putting on an exaggerated tone. "The lockers fell off the walls and I hurt my head."

Adrien then watched as Plagg did something he had never seen the kwami do before.

He used the _kitten eyes._

"It really hurt…" Plagg whined, gazing imploringly up at Tikki. "I got dizzy and you know what I'm like when I'm dizzy – my tummy hurts as well."

Tikki rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Plagg."

"You can't stay mad at me."

"No…"

Plagg cheered, flying a loop in the air before tackling Tikki around the middle. The two kwami spun through the air holding onto each other and screaming in delight. Plagg nuzzled Tikki possessively as she hugged him tightly. It had been so long since they'd seen one another, and they couldn't help but savour every moment.

"Um," Adrien began awkwardly. "I don't mean to interrupt…"

"Oh right, sorry," Tikki untangled herself from Plagg and zipped in front of Adrien. "Well Adrien, Plagg, I need you two to transform and give me a lift while I look for Ladybug."

"Still don't want to reveal her identity?" Plagg scoffed.

"You know perfectly well why that is," Tikki said sternly and Adrien was astonished to see a look of shame flash briefly across Plagg's inhuman features.

"Let's just hurry up and finish this. I want to go nap," he tossed the ring to Adrien and crossed his tiny paws.

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien posed.

Plagg was sucked into the ring and with a bright flash of green light, Chat Noir stood ready for action.

"Nice work!" Tikki flew towards the superhero and snuggled into his hair. "Oh, you have very nice hair!"

"Thank you," Chat Noir answered, blushing at the praise. "Are you sure you'll be fine there?"

"Don't worry about me, this isn't the first time something like this has happened," Tikki spoke. "Now it's possible that we'll miss Ladybug and she'll return here where she left me. If that happens we need to figure out a way to let her know I'm safe with you."

"I'll write her a note!" Chat planned, reaching into the locker where his stuff was. "I always come prepared."

Tikki nodded in approval.

"Good work. Once you're done, I suggest you look for your classmates," she said. "It would also be wise not to engage the akuma until Ladybug is with you."

"What, you don't think I can handle it?" Chat countered with a dismissive wave. "I'll be fine. If I beat the akuma and take his item, then the danger will be over, right?"

"Or you might fail," Tikki admonished. "This akuma seems abnormally powerful, so you shouldn't confront him until Ladybug is with you. I would suggest laying low and looking for your classmates – they might be in trouble."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see," Chat Noir said absent-mindedly, finishing his note.

Tikki quickly took the note and ordered him to turn around whilst she put it in Marinette's locker. It was a bit of a calculated gamble, Tikki acknowledged, that Marinette wouldn't show up here before they could find her, but Chat Noir could simply move far faster than Marinette could on her own. Not to mention that if the girl was in trouble, then they would have to rescue her, and she'd likely never show up then.

"Alright, Chat Noir," Tikki returned and settled back into his hair, the earrings gripped tightly in her little paws. "Let's go!"

"No problem, Tikki!" he replied, smiling as he opened the door. "I'll have this akuma beaten before you know it! We probably won't even need Ladybug!"

With that, Chat Noir leapt into action, his claws digging into the side of a nearby metal tube.

'I have a bad feeling about this,' Tikki thought to herself, as Chat Noir began the arduous climb to the very top of the magical water park.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you guys thought! Also the season two finale was great! Hopefully the show only gets better!  
**

 **Thank you to everyone for your support.**


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